West Japan Railway Co. is considering temporarily laying off some employees for the second time in response to a sharp drop in travel demand following the state of emergency declaration in some prefectures over the coronavirus pandemic, the company's president said Monday.

"We hope to implement it soon," Kazuaki Hasegawa said at a regular press conference held online, adding the railway operator known as JR West, which serves western Japan, is in dire need of additional cost-cutting measures.

The state of emergency, under which people are urged to refrain from nonessential outings and restaurants are asked to shorten opening hours, will remain in place through Feb. 7 in some prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka.

The number of passengers using the company's Sanyo Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines both plunged 71 percent between Jan. 1 and 14 compared to the same period last year.

JR West's previous temporary layoff between May and July last year affected a total of 18,000 employees.

Among other railway operators, Central Japan Railway Co. said Friday it plans a temporary layoff affecting about 9,500 employees in the period between Jan. 25 and the end of February.

As travel by train remains sluggish due to the pandemic, JR West also said Monday it will start a business of transporting cargo such as seafood using Shinkansen bullet trains in cooperation with other railway operators and logistics companies.

==Kyodo

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