The ED75 is a four-axle mixed traffic locomotive for use under 20 kV AC at 50 Hz. At a service weight of only 67.2 tonnes, it delivers an output of 1,900 kW and reaches a top speed of 100 km/h. After the first two prototypes were built in 1963, 300 more had been completed by 1976.
The original series 0 consisted of 160 locomotives, of which 50 were adapted to cold climates. The 91 locomotives of the series 700 only differed in the type of pantographs used. Another variant was the series 300 that could operate under 60 instead of 50 Hz for use on Kyushu. The series 500, number ED75-501 was a single prototype that was controlled by a thyristor. The series 1000 was built for express freight service and consisted of 39 locomotives.
After privatization, the class came to JR East and JR Freight. At JR Freight, it took only until 2012 for all to be retired. At JR East, they were among the last locomotives which hauled passenger trains. Later they were used for work trains and were sometimes leased to JR Freight. In October 2024, only three were still in service. Earlier four had been selected for preservation, but meanwhile two of these have already been scrapped.