Gas and vehicle taxes should not be spent only on road construction but also on protecting the environment, including maintaining the nation's forests, according to the new minister of land, infrastructure and transport.
"It is important to maintain Japan's forests, which absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis," Tetsuzo Fuyushiba told The Japan Times recently. "We need to take care (of the forests) so that enough carbon dioxide can be absorbed."
The lawyer also said the tax money could be used to develop technologies to protect the environment.