Akihiro Ohata, the new transport minister, says a clear position on toll-free expressways needs to be established by three years.
"We need to proceed (with the plan) step by step. It's important to come up with a conclusion in two to three years' time," the new chief of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism said in a recent group interview.
Making expressways toll-free was one of the pillars of the Democratic Party of Japan's platform for the 2009 Lower House election that brought the DPJ to power.
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