Okay, I've Got To Ask...

[ATShinkansen]

I see it frequently on Japanese railway buildings: what does the green cross mean?

[Suica]

Safety First

[ATShinkansen]

Ah, okay, thanks, that makes sense.

[miyakoji]

You'll also often see two characters on either side of it.  The left two are anzen (safety), the right two are daiichi (first)

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:Japanese_Safety_First.png

[JR 500系]

Not just limited to train industry, practically anything that is high risk and safety should be placed in top priority, like construction for example:

 

https://onsizzle.com/i/japanese-construction-worker-doing-a-safety-safety-first-doge-say-4356881

 

http://compliancesolution.com/?page_id=449

[railsquid]

It's the Japanese national motto.

[katoftw]

I thought the Japanese motto was "Work hard for little pay."

[ToniBabelony]

I thought the Japanese motto was "Work hard for little pay."

 

You must be confused with mainland China.

[Kiha66]

You'll also often see two characters on either side of it.  The left two are anzen (safety), the right two are daiichi (first)

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:Japanese_Safety_First.png

 

I always wondered what these meant, thanks for clearing that up!