The National Police Agency said Thursday it will raise the speed limit on sections of two expressways to 110 kph, up from the current 100 kph. The aim is to lift the speed limit eventually to 120 kph.

The trials will take place on the Tohoku and Shintomei expressways, which were chosen by local public safety commissions due to their low accident rates.

It will be the first hike in the speed limit since the nation's first highway opened, in 1963, between Nagoya and Osaka.

However, trucks and other large freight vehicles will be unaffected by the change. Such vehicles must observe a maximum speed of 80 kph.

The agency will likely start the trials within a year and a half. They are expected to last for at least a year.

The agency will look at accident rates on the trial sections and could expand the test areas if all goes well.