is a national highway of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

that traverses the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

of Niigata in a southwest–northeast routing. It connects the city of Jōetsu in southern Niigata Prefecture to the prefecture's capital city, Niigata, to the north along the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

coastline; however the highway mainly functions as the main highway on

Sado Island is a city located on in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Since 2004, the city has comprised the entire island, although not all of its total area is urbanized. Sado is the sixth largest island of Japan in area following the four main islands and Ok ...

. It has a total length of on land, but a total length of with the distance traveled by the

Sado Steam Ship is a marine transportation company based in Sado, Niigata, Japan, founded as Sado Shosen on February 3, 1913. And, in 1932, this company was established by merging three ferry companies that Sado Shosen, Etsusa Shosen and Niigata Kisen into Sa ...

across the Sea of Japan factored in.

Route description

National Route 350 mainly functions as the main highway on

; however, it is connected by

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferries that cross the

to its termini on

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

at Jōetsu and Niigata. It has a total length of on land, but a total length of with the distance traveled by the

across the Sea of Japan factored in.

History

The car ferry between Niigata and Ryōtsu commenced service in March 1967. The opening of this connection led to an increase of vehicular activity on the island. In response, officials on Sado Island sought assistance from the national government to improve the roads of the island; however, the law governing Japan's national highways only allowed for highways that were connected to

core cities The Core Cities Group (also Core Cities UK) is a self-selected and self-financed collaborative advocacy group of large regional cities in the United Kingdom outside Greater London. The group was formed in 1995 and serves as a partnership of el ...

, special cities, and prefectural capitals to be designated as national highways. These officials petitioned the then-

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the Liberal Democratic Party,

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives from 1947 Japanese general election, 1947 to 1990 Japanese general election, 1990, and was Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. After ...

, to give the island a national highway by finding a loophole in the law. The loophole was that if the highway began in Niigata (the prefecture's capital city) and ended in Jōetsu (a special city) it did not matter where the highway was routed between. National Route 350 was established by the

Cabinet of Japan The is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the emperor after being designated by the National Diet, and up to nineteen other members, called Ministers of State. The prime ...

in 1975 between the cities of Niigata and Jōetsu via the Sado Island ferry ports at Ryōtsu and

Ogi Ogi may refer to: People * Adolf Ogi (born 1942), Swiss politician *, Japanese football player *, Japanese actress and politician *Darko Ostojić (born 1965), nicknamed Ogi, Bosnian musician and actor *, Japanese football player *Ogi Ogas (born 19 ...

, giving the island its only national highway.

Major junctions

The route lies entirely within

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

References

External links

* {{National Routes of Japan, 350

350 __NOTOC__ Year 350 (Roman numerals, CCCL) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Nigrinianus (or, less frequentl ...

Roads in Niigata Prefecture

Route description

History

Major junctions

See also

References

External links