The Chubu District Transport Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has announced a public comment period regarding an application by Izu Hakone Railway Co. to change the upper limit of its passenger fares ^[1]. The notice was published on October 16, 2026, and the ministry is accepting public opinions through 23:59 on October 30, 2026 ^[1]. The application falls under Article 16, Paragraph 1 of the Railway Business Act, and the comment period is being conducted as a voluntary solicitation of opinions rather than one mandated under the Administrative Procedure Act ^[1]. The ministry noted that the comment window is shorter than the usual 30 days because it meets the minimum 14-day period set out in a 2016 notice governing public comment procedures for railway fare cap applications ^[1]. That category of procedure is officially classified under "land transport" (陸運) ^[1]. The ministry has made available the fare change application itself, along with a comment submission guideline, a submission form in both Word and PDF formats ^[1]. Anyone wishing to submit an opinion is instructed to first review the full comment submission guidelines and the complete application document before submitting feedback, to avoid submission errors ^[1]. Inquiries about the matter can be directed to the Railway Department's Supervision Division at the Chubu District Transport Bureau, reachable by phone at 052-952-8030 ^[1]. The notice does not specify the proposed new fare amounts, the current fares, the reason Izu Hakone Railway is seeking the change, or when any approved increase might take effect ^[1]. Those who wish to have their views considered should submit comments by the October 30, 2026 deadline following the format specified in the ministry's official documents ^[1]. Readers are encouraged to consult the official e-Gov public comment page directly for the full text of the application and the exact procedure for submitting opinions, since the source notice does not detail the specific fare figures involved ^[1].

Source credit 出典：「伊豆箱根鉄道株式会社の鉄道事業に係る旅客運賃上限変更認可申請に関する意見募集について」（e-Govパブリックコメント）（https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/servlet/Public?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&id=155260819&Mode=0）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the e-Gov Public Comment did not write or review it.