The ruling bloc rammed a bill through the Diet on Tuesday that allows the government to use road-related taxes solely for nationwide road construction for the next 10 years, even though the Cabinet agreed earlier in the day to free up those revenues starting next April.
The Democratic Party of Japan-led opposition camp condemned the bill as being totally inconsistent with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's promise to free up road tax revenues, currently used exclusively to fund road construction, for general expenditures starting in fiscal 2009.
Even members of the ruling bloc expressed reluctance over voting on the bill.