Eidan

The Teito Rapid Transit Authority (Japanese: 帝都高速度交通営団; lit. "Imperial Capital Highspeed Transportation Management Foundation"), commonly abbreviated as Eidan, was a railway operator jointly funded by the Japanese government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It operated the subway system within Tokyo’s special wards from 1941 until 2004. Alternative English renderings of its name included Teidan Subway and Transportation Eidan. The authority was established under the Imperial Capital Rapid Transit Authority Act as a public law corporation. The authority was placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Railways, later the Ministry of Transport and Communications, followed by the Ministry of Transport, and ultimately the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It was one of the state-controlled management bodies, commonly referred to as Eidan, established during the Second Sino-Japanese War as part of the government’s efforts to centralize control and administration. The term Teito refers to the imperial capital of Japan—Tokyo—while high speed does not denote high-speed rail in the modern sense, such as the Shinkansen, but instead refers to high-speed urban rapid transit in contrast to the streetcars that had previously been the primary mode of urban transportation.