Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima via the east coast of Kyushu, passing through the prefectural capitals of Ōita and Miyazaki.

The section from Kagoshima - Hayato opened as part of the Hisatsu line in 1901.

The 'Bypass' was built due to the Japanese army expressing concern at the vulnerability of Kokura to enemy naval gunfire.

However, following Japan's success in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War, this concern diminished and the Kokura Bypass sections closed in 1911.

On September 17, 2006, at 14:05, the Nichirin Number 9 train on the Nippo Line derailed near Minami-Nobeoka Station, causing some injuries.