Higo-Ozu

History

Higo-Ōzu Station opened on 21 June 1914 as the eastern terminus of the Japanese Government Railways' Miyaji Light Rail Line from Kumamoto. It became a through-station on 11 November 1916 when the line was extended to Tateno, and the full Kumamoto - Ōita route was redesignated the Hōhi Main Line on 2 December 1928. Operation passed to JR Kyushu at privatisation on 1 April 1987. Electrification reached Higo-Ōzu from Kumamoto on 1 October 1999, and the south entrance opened on 1 October 2011. SUGOCA IC card service began on 1 December 2012. Severe damage from the April 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes closed the line east of the station; service returned to Tateno in 2017 and the full Kumamoto - Aso section reopened on 8 August 2020.

History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-22.

Notes

On 4 March 2017 the station received the nickname "Aso-Kumamoto Airport Station" in recognition of its role as the nearest rail stop to Kumamoto Airport, and is linked to the airport by a free shuttle bus operated by Kumamoto Prefecture.