Around the time of the Manchurian Incident, long distance telephone calls become much more common. Intercity calls are still handled by manual switchboards, and strict controls over materials make it difficult to expand telephone facilities. In 1938 it can take 7 hours and 5 minutes to get a call through from Tokyo to Osaka, so slow that business can be accomplished faster by taking an express train. Once a call is placed, the user can not go away from the phone until the line is connected, and many calls end up being cancelled after they are finally put through. Under the national general mobilization, the use of rail transport and intercity telephone service grow more than any other sector of military or commercial activity. Officials call for self-restraint in phone usage.

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