A key panel tasked with overseeing the privatization of the nation's four expressway operators urged the government Tuesday to grant privatized entities autonomy with regard to the construction of new expressways.
The advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met for the first time since the land ministry provided the government and ruling coalition last month with three proposals concerning expressway construction under the privatized entities, which will be inaugurated in fiscal 2005.
The government is garnering opinions from the panel as well as other parties before drawing up legislation for submission to the ordinary Diet session that starts in January.
Panel members voiced concern that the expressway firms will be forced to act on government orders to build unprofitable routes.
The four expressway operators currently build roads at the behest of the land ministry, which is heavily influenced by the pork-barrel activities of lawmakers with vested road construction interests.
The panel also claimed that the ministry's proposals are designed to force privatized entities into a straight choice between constructing no expressways and having no control over new construction.