Japan Highway Public Corp.'s highway toll discounts only for cars equipped with the electronic toll collection system will be expanded to 220 billion yen a year from the current 40 billion yen in September, government officials said Thursday.

In view of the state-run company's privatization scheduled for fall 2005, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, which has drawn up the new discount program, wants to bring about more benefits for ordinary drivers rather than large-lot corporate users such as transportation companies.