JAPAN TIMES – The subway system now known as Tokyo Metro began as a private entity in 1927, when it was just one line between Ueno and Asakusa. It eventually morphed into the Eidan subway system, which was a public company. Then it went back to being private in 2004, though 53.4 percent of its stock was held by the central government and 46.6 percent by Tokyo Prefecture. Tokyo Metro’s management had originally hoped to list the company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange sometime between 2007 and 2009, but according to the business magazine Toyo Keizai, they put it off due to the recession, thinking they could raise more money if they waited until the economy picked up. Read More
