Only 3 of 47 pref. governors support DPJ`s toll-free expressway policy

TOKYO, Sept. 12 Kyodo -
Only three of Japan's 47 prefectural governors expressed their support for the
Democratic Party of Japan's key policy of phasing out expressway tolls, with 16
stating clear opposition and 28 withholding their answers, a Kyodo News survey
showed Saturday.
The advocates are from Iwate, Tokushima and Okinawa prefectures. Those opposed
include Wakayama's governor, who cited concern about how the central government
will find sufficient funds to build expressways deemed necessary in regional
areas.
The DPJ, set to form a new Cabinet next week with its President Yukio Hatoyama
probably assuming the premiership, says the policy will help revitalize Japan's
regional economies.
Tolls are used to repay public loans made for expressway construction by an
independent administrative body. If the new government abolishes the toll
system for certain expressways, it has to find other resources in taxpayer
money for the repayment.
With such an aspect apparently in mind, the Oita Prefecture governor said it
will burden people who do not much use expressways.
Concern about delays in shipments of fresh food and door-to-door goods delivery
services are also mentioned by the governors of Nagasaki and Tokyo in
anticipation that expressways will be jammed once tolls are abolished.
Some of those opponents said the policy would contribute to increases in carbon
monoxide emissions by encouraging more drivers.
But Tokushima's governor, who is among the three advocates, said Japan should
use the policy to build momentum for promoting hybrid and other environmentally
friendly vehicles as a way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
The 28 governors who withheld their answers said they cannot take sides before
seeing concrete details of the DPJ plan.
Japan's main opposition party dethroned the long-ruling Liberal Democratic
Party in a general election in late August, pledging to boost household
disposal income such as by providing cash handouts to families with children,
free public high school tuition and phasing out highway tolls.
The party also promised to reduce the gasoline tax -- about 25 yen per liter --
in the spring of 2010.
This policy garnered support from only two governors, as some of the gas tax
income is distributed to regional government coffers.
Any decline in regional government income makes it difficult to maintain
road-related and other services, Chiba's governor, among those unsupportive of
the gas tax cut, said.
==Kyodo