In 1922, the JGR commissioned two electric locomotives, which were numbered 1000 and 1001. They had been manufactured by Baldwin and Westinghouse in the USA and followed the box cab design that was common there at the time. They were first used in the Tokyo area on the Yamanote line and on the Chuo main line. What was special about these lines was that the catenary carried either 600 or 1,200 volts, depending on the section, and the locomotives had to be designed for both voltages.

From 1925 the locomotives were used on the Tokaido main line, freshly electrified with 1,500 volts, after they had been modified accordingly. From 1928 they were designated ED10 1 and ED10 2 according to a new scheme. They were retired from the JNR in 1959 and 1960 respectively. The number 2 was then sold to the Seibu Railway and used there until 1986 to pull freight trains. It was preserved and is now in Yokoze in its original color scheme.

At the time when JGR imported electric locomotives from abroad, there were also some from Switzerland. In addition to two class 1020 freight locomotives, there were also two class 7000 express locomotives supplied by SLM Winterthur and BBC. They were used on the Tokaido main line under direct current at 1,500 volts.

The Buchli drive, which is widespread in Switzerland, was used to achieve smooth running at speeds of up to 100 km/h. Here, the axles were driven by a mechanism mounted on one side, which was able to cushion the unevenness of the rail. To improve running characteristics, Java bogies were used, which were also an SLM specialty. With this chassis design, the two middle drive axles were mounted in the frame so that they could be moved sideways, while at each end of the locomotive there was an internally articulated bogie, each with a drive axle and a running axle designed as an Adams axle.

The locomotives were able to convince with their high power and their good running characteristics, but the small number of two units did not allow economical use. The Buchli drive in particular presented the mechanics with difficulties because it had not been used on any other locomotive in Japan. Instruction of the drivers in the peculiarities of the locomotives also represented an effort. As a result, the two locomotives were only used sporadically and the state's own production of electric locomotives soon made them completely superfluous. Finally, in 1948, they were completely phased out. Number 2, which was actually put aside for museum preservation, was also scrapped in the 1960s.

The ED60 was the first representative of a new generation of DC locomotives, which was characterized by the use of smaller, lighter, high-performance traction motors, which made it possible to dispense with carrying axles. The two motors of each bogie were connected in series and operated with a voltage of 750 volts. Due to their small size and high power, the locomotives in Japan were referred to as “nuclear locomotives”, based on the comic “Astro Boy”. They had gangway doors at the ends, which were used in multiple traction.

There were only eight ED60, which came from different manufacturers. The first came from Mitsubishi, four from Kawasaki and three were built jointly by Toyo and Kisha Seizo. They were used in front of freight trains on branch lines that had been bought up by private railways. For routes that were suitable for a higher axle load, some of the locomotives were built with an artificially increased mass of four tons. The EF60, which was introduced a short time later, was intended for main lines. The use of the ED60 ended in 1986 when freight traffic ended on the traditional routes.

The EF60 was the first Japanese six-axle electric locomotive to have three two-axle bogies to reduce the loads on the rails. It shared the 390 kW traction motors with the ED60, making it the second second-generation Japanese electric locomotive. Production was split between Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Toshiba and a cooperation between Toyo and Kisha Seizo. There were 129 examples for freight use, designated EF60-0, replacing the EH10, and 14 for passenger use, designated EF60-500, replacing the EF58.

After two prototypes and twelve production engines had been built from 1960, production started in larger numbers from 1962. From the third production lot, which was built in 1964, the locomotives had two headlights at each end instead of one large and more powerful traction motors, each with 425 kW. The EF60-500 were replaced in service with passenger trains by new models as early as 1965 and then used for freight trains. From 1977 a total of eleven locomotives were converted to EF61 and EF67 for helper duties on inclines. The retirement of all remaining EF60s was completed in 1986.

On the Hokuriku main line, a steep tunnel of the same name made it necessary to develop a powerful AC electric locomotive. Its tasks included the haulage of 1,300 tonne freight trains on a one percent incline or of passenger trains with 100 km/h. The solution was the EF70 that had three two-axle bogies and of which 81 were built between 1961 an 1965. In 1968, seven were modified for use on sleeper trains. By 1985, most locomotives had been removed from active service. The official retirement of the last one was in March 1987.

The steepest section of the Japanese network was on the Shinetsu main line at the Usui Pass and had a gradient of 6.67 percent. At the time when the new generation of DC locomotives was introduced, it was still being operated with rack electric locomotives from the 1930s, which were now to be replaced. The result was a six-axle locomotive that could be used for passenger and freight trains alike and that was to cover the entire Shinetsu route without cogwheel operation. On the steepest section, they were to be supported by two EF63 each. The production of the total of 54 machines was again divided among several manufacturers.

For weight reasons, the combination of three two-axle bogies was not used here, but two bogies, each with three axles. The replacement of the steam boiler for the train heating with an electric heater, which was not yet standard at the time, also served to save weight. Parts of the vehicle body were made of glass fiber reinforced plastic instead of metal.

Uphill travel times between the two stations before and after the Usui Pass have been reduced from 42 to 17 minutes. After more and more multiple units were introduced, the field of application of the EF62 soon focused on freight trains. Since this section still led to delays, freight traffic was routed via a different route from 1984, which ended the use of the locomotives at this point. They were still relocated, but soon afterwards most of the engines were retired. After the privatization of the Japanese railways, the last remaining EF62s were used by JR East in front of night trains and were also retired by 1998.

The ED76 is an electric locomotive for passenger and freight service with three bogies, only two of which are powered. The base model was the series 0, of which 94 were built. The 22 locomotives of the series 500 had a longer car body because the water and fuel tanks for the train heating had been enlarged. They had gangways at the fronts because they were often used in pairs. One example was adapted for the Seikan Tunnel and formed the series 550. 23 locos for express freight service formed the series 1000. In 2016 only ten locos were still in service, all owned by JR Freight.