The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry will hold a hearing Oct. 17 as part of procedures aimed at dismissing Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii, officials said Tuesday.
Transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara launched the dismissal process on Monday, after Fujii defied a ministerial order to step down.
The ministry has notified the semigovernmental entity's secretarial section.
The chief of the troubled expressway operator will be given an opportunity to state his case with regard to Japan Highway's disputed balance sheet.
The hearing will be held in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Law, which obliges the ministry to conduct a hearing before firing executives at semigovernmental firms.
Shigetaro Yamamoto, a deputy vice minister for policy coordination, will preside over the hearing.