Chūgoku Expressway

The Chūgoku Expressway (中国自動車道, Chūgoku Jidōsha-dō) (part of Asian Highway Network AH1) is an expressway in Japan, which extends from Suita, Osaka to Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It connects Kansai and Chūgoku regions in western Honshu, Japan's main island. Other major cities along the expressway are Tsuyama, Kobe, and Hiroshima. It was opened in 1970, and has a total length of 540.1 kilometers (335.6 mi).

Chūgoku Expressway
中国自動車道
Route information
Part of AH1
Length	540.1 km (335.6 mi)
Existed	1970–present
Major junctions
From	Suita Junction in Suita, Osaka Meishin Expressway Kinki Expressway
To	Shimonoseki Interchange in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Kyushu Expressway
Location
Country	Japan
Major cities	Takarazuka, Kobe, Tsuyama, Niimi, Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan

Sayo, Hyōgo, Japan

Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan

It is connected with many other expressways, including the Meishin Expressway at Suita Junction and Kanmon Bridge at Shimonoseki Interchange through to the Kyushu Expressway.

List of interchanges and features

• IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, TN - tunnel, TB - toll gate, BR - bridge
• Bus stops labeled "○" are currently in use; those marked "◆" are closed.

Number	Name	Connections	Distance from Origin (km)	Bus Stop	Notes	Location
(35)	Suita JCT	Meishin Expressway Kinki Expressway	0.0		Chugoku Expwy←→Nishinomiya: no access	Suita	Osaka
1	Chūgoku-Suita IC	Osaka Prefectural Route 2 (Osaka Chūō Loop Road)	1.0		eastbound exit, westbound entrance
2	Chūgoku-Toyonaka IC	Osaka Prefectural Route 2 (Osaka Chūō Loop Road)	8.3		westbound exit, eastbound entrance	Toyonaka
	Chūgoku-Ikeda IC	National Route 176 (Bypass)	10.5		eastbound exit, westbound entrance	Ikeda
3	Takarazuka IC	National Route 176 (Bypass) Hyōgo Prefectural Route 42	16.6	○		Takarazuka	Hyōgo
-	Takarazuka-Higashi Tunnel	-	18.3
-	Takarazuka-Nishi Tunnel	-	20.1
-	Nishinomiya-Najio SA	-	24.1	◆		Nishinomiya
4	Nishinomiya-Yamaguchi JCT	Kita-Kobe Route	27.1		westbound exit, eastbound entrance
5	Nishinomiya-Kita IC	Hyōgo Prefectural Route 82	29.8	○
5-1	Kobe JCT	Shin-Meishin Expressway Sanyō Expressway	31.6		for Shin-Meishin Expwy:opening in 2017	Kita-ku, Kobe
-	Nagao BS	-	33.6	○
5-2	Kobe Sanda IC	Rokko-Kita Road	36.7
-	Akamatsu PA	-	38.4
6	Yokawa JCT	Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway	40.3			Miki
7	Yokawa IC	National Route 428 Hyōgo Prefectural Route 17	43.7	○
7-1	Hyōgo-Tōjō IC	Hyōgo Prefectural Route 91 Hyōgo Prefectural Route 313	47.7			Katō
-	Tōjō BS	-	49.7	○
-	Yashiro PA	-	55.8	○
8	Takino-Yashiro IC	National Route 175 (Yashiro Bypass) Hyōgo Prefectural Route 17	59.4	○
-	Izumi BS	-	66.6	○		Kasai
8-1	Kasai IC	Hyōgo Prefectural Route 24	69.1	○
-	Hōjō BS	-	72.2	○
-	Kasai PA	-	75.6
						Fukusaki
9	Fukusaki IC	Bantan Renraku Road	79.2	○
9-1	Yumesaki BS/SIC	Hyōgo Prefectural Route 23	86.0	○		Himeji
-	Yasutomi PA	-	94.5	○
10	Yamasaki IC	National Route 29	99.6	○		Shiso
-	Yamasaki JCT	Harima Expressway (planned)	103.3		planned for 2020
-	Yamasaki TB	-	103.9		abandoned on December 20, 2004
-	Ibogawa PA	-	106.6
-	Kazurane BS	-	110.2	○
-	Nankō BS	-	113.8	○		Sayō
10-1	Sayō JCT	Tottori Expressway	117.2
11	Sayō IC	National Route 373	119.2	○
-	Kōzuki PA	-	125.7	○
-	Sugisaka Tunnel	-
						Mimasaka	Okayama
11-1	Sakutō IC	Okayama Prefectural Route 86	131.3
-	Sakutō BS	-	133.9	○
-	Narahara PA	-	136.4
12	Mimasaka IC	Okayama Prefectural Road 51	139.4	○
12-1	Shōō JCT	Mimasaka Okayama Road	141.8
-	Katsumada BS	-	144.0	○		Shōō
-	Shōō SA	-	145.3
13	Tsuyama IC	National Route 53	150.7	○		Tsuyama
-	Tsuyama-Kita BS	-	156.0	○
-	Ninomiya PA	-	159.1
14	Innoshō IC	National Route 179 Okayama Prefectural Route 261	161.1	○
-	Kume BS	-	166.5	○
-	Mimasaka-Oiwake PA	-	173.9	○		Maniwa
15	Ochiai JCT	Yonago Expressway	175.0
16	Ochiai IC	National Route 313	181.6	○
-	Maniwa PA	-	184.6
17	Hokubō JCT	Okayama Expressway	190.8
18	Hokubō IC	National Route 313	193.4
-	Azae BS	-	196.5	○
-	Fuse BS	-	205.5	○		Niimi
18-1	Ōsa SA/SIC	Okayama Prefectural Route 32	209.5	○	SIC: Open 06:00-24:00
-	Kumatani BS	-	215.6	○
19	Niimi IC	National Route 180	221.6	△
-	Shingō PA	-	228.8	◆
-	Tessei BS	-	237.9	○
20	Tojō IC	National Route 182	246.4	△		Shōbara	Hiroshima
-	Taishakukyō PA	-	248.6 249.5		For Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū for Yonago, Osaka
-	Taishaku BS	-	259.7	○
-	Motomura PA	-	265.9 267.0		For Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū for Yonago, Osaka
21	Shōbara IC	National Route 432	276.6	○
-	Nanatsukahara SA	-	283.1 283.2		For Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū for Yonago, Osaka
-	Wachi BS	-	286.5	○		Miyoshi
21-1	Miyoshi-Higashi JCT/IC	Matsue Expressway Onomichi Expressway Hiroshima Prefectural Route 434	288.6
22	Miyoshi IC	National Route 375 Hiroshima Prefectural Route 470	293.6	○
-	Gōnokawa PA	-	299.1 302.0		For Yonago, Osaka for Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū
-	Takamiya BS	-	308.3	○		Akitakata
23	Takada IC	Hiroshima Prefectural Route 64	313.8
-	Midori BS	-	315.8	○
-	Hongō PA	-	317.9 322.2		For Yonago, Osaka for Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū
24	Chiyoda IC	Hiroshima Prefectural Route 5	328.9	○		Kitahiroshima
25	Chiyoda JCT	Hamada Expressway	330.9
-	Asa SA	-	339.9 340.4		For Yamaguchi, Hiroshima for Hamada, Osaka	Asakita-ku, Hiroshima
26	Hiroshima-Kita JCT	Hiroshima Expressway	343.0
-	Ushizuyama Tunnel	-	345.8		Ōsaka-bound 3,573 m Kitakyūshū-bound 3,558 m
26-1	Kake BS/SIC	National Route 191	355.9	○	westbound exit, eastbound entrance	Akiōta
27	Togōchi IC	National Route 186 National Route 191	360.4
-	Tsutsuga PA	-	363.2	○
-	Sakai Tunnel	-
						Hatsukaichi
28	Yoshiwa IC	National Route 186	376.6
-	Yoshiwa SA	-	379.1	○
-	Kanmuriyama Tunnel	-			Ōsaka-bound 2,140 m Kitakyūshū-bound 2,198 m
						Iwakuni	Yamaguchi
-	Usa BS/CB	-	387.4	◆
-	Fukaya PA	-	395.5	○
29	Muikaichi IC	National Route 187	403.6	◆		Yoshika	Shimane
-	Asakura PA	-	408.5	◆
-	Yoneyama Tunnel	-			Ōsaka-bound 3,154 m Kitakyūshū-bound 3,260 m
						Shūnan	Yamaguchi
30	Kano IC	National Route 315	430.6	◆
-	Kano SA	-	432.2 432.8		For Kitakyūshū for Hiroshima
-	Kushi BS/CB	-	439.7	◆		Yamaguchi
31	Tokuji IC	National Route 489	447.4	◆
-	Nioroshitōge PA	-	455.7
-	Niho BS	-	460.6	◆
32	Yamaguchi IC	National Route 262	467.4	◆
-	Yudaonsen PA/SIC	-	473.3	◆	SIC opening in 2020
(33)	Yamaguchi JCT	San'yō Expressway	475.4
34 34-1	Ogori IC Ogori JCT	National Route 9 Yamaguchi Ube Road	480.1	◆
-	Mitō PA	-	487.5 487.7		For Kitakyūshū for Hiroshima	Mine
-	Mana BS	-	489.5	◆
34-2	Mine-Higashi JCT	Ogori Hagi Road	490.5
35	Mine IC	National Route 435	498.2	○
-	Isa PA	-	505.5
35-1	Mine-Nishi IC	Yamaguchi Prefectural Route 33	511.7	◆
35-2	Shimonoseki JCT Nagato-Yoshida BS	Sanyō Expressway Ube-Shimonoseki Route	519.0	◆		Shimonoseki
-	Ozuki BS	-	524.0	○
-	Shimonoseki JCT	Sanin Expressway (planned)	-
36	Ozuki IC	National Route 491	524.6	○
-	Ōji PA	-	529.1
-	Nagato-Katsuyama BS	-	535.9	◆
37	Shimonoseki IC	Yamaguchi Prefectural Route 57	540.1
Through to Kanmon Bridge

Accidents

On 5 October 2013, comedian and singer Yakkun Sakurazuka died in an accident on the Chugoku Expressway in Mine, Yamaguchi, while en route to a concert in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was hit by another car and killed after exiting his car following a crash.