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Japan. Japanese Railway Worker’s Cap, 1938-1945
Cap worn by an employee of the Japanese Government Railways (JGR), the national railway system operated directly by the Japanese Ministry of Railways until 1949.
The front bears the Paulownia flower, a traditional symbol of the Japanese government, while the side buttons display the emblem commonly used by Japanese railway companies. It retains its original elements and constitutes a representative example of the civilian uniform of the time, made with simple materials due to the lack of raw materials because of the war.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Second World War, Japan’s railway network came under increasing military control due to its strategic importance. In 1943 and 1944, the government launched a new phase of railway nationalization, compulsorily acquiring twenty-two private railway companies, particularly those considered essential for industrial production and military transportation.
Unlike the earlier nationalization program of 1906-1907, this wartime initiative was not primarily intended to integrate major trunk lines but rather to strengthen state control over key transportation infrastructure. At the same time, the railway system was reorganized into large regional blocs to improve efficiency and logistical coordination during the war.
Original Japanese railway cap from the WW2 Second World War.
