Yōkoku Station

Yōkoku Station (暘谷駅) is a passenger railway station located in the town of Hiji, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu.

Lines
The station is served by the Nippō Main Line and is located 108.4 km from the starting point of the line at Kokura.

Layout
The station consists of two side platforms serving two tracks at grade. The station building is a modern concrete structure, built in 2016, which houses a staffed ticket window, a waiting area and various community facilities. There is also a footbridge, served by elevators, which provides access to the opposite platform as well as 24-hour free passage to the street on the other side of the station.

Management of the station has been outsourced to the JR Kyushu Tetsudou Eigyou Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of JR Kyushu specialising in station services. It staffs the ticket booth which is equipped with a POS machine but does not have a Midori no Madoguchi facility.

History
Japanese National Railways (JNR) opened the station on 9 March 1987 as an additional station on the existing track of the Nippō Main Line. With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR Kyushu.

In 2016, the town of Hiji completed a major urban redevelopment project involving the station. The station was moved 100 metres to the east and a new station building was constructed, incorporated a waiting room, a community interaction area nad gallery as well as a footbridge which is available as a free passage to the street on the other side of the tracks.

Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 810 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 189th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.

Surrounding area

 * Hiji Town Hall
 * Hiji Town Hiji Library
 * Hiji Town Hiji Elementary School
 * Hiji Town Hiji Junior High School