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01.12.2011 12:01Japan Makes Highways Free in Quake-Hit Northeast
The government has decided to scrap the plan and make all highways in three prefectures, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, and some highways in neighboring prefectures, free to all vehicles, including those not affected by the disaster, from Dec. 1 until March 31
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The Japanese government on Thursday made highways free to all vehicles in the country's disaster-hit northeast, a move that could boost sales of gasoline in coming months.
To facilitate the post-quake recovery and boost tourism to the regions, the transport ministry had said it would make about 1,540 km (960 miles) of highways in northeastern Japan free for those affected by the disaster for one year starting June 20.
But the government has decided to scrap the plan and make all highways in three prefectures, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, and some highways in neighboring prefectures, free to all vehicles, including those not affected by the disaster, from Dec. 1 until March 31.
Japan's domestic gasoline sales in October fell 1.5 percent from a year earlier, marking the eighth straight year-on-year decline, Reuters reported.
Japan's highways are among the world's most expensive, with trips of more than 70 km (44 miles) exceeding 2,000 yen (USD 26), while a 400 km (250 mile) trip from Tokyo to Osaka would run about 15,000 yen. (USD 1 = 77.6300 Japanese yen).
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