One of the most contentious components of the Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto is the pledge to make all expressways free. In media survey after media survey, the portion of respondents who don't support the proposal has been consistently between 60 and 65 percent. The Liberal Democratic Party has used this perceived anxiety to reinforce its portrayal of the new ruling party as dangerously spendthrift.
Of course, it was the LDP that set the country on the road to economic ruin when it was the ruling party, but it's important to understand who actually benefits from the current toll system and who may benefit if it is done away with.
The LDP and the media have managed to dominate the argument in the simplest terms: If tolls are eliminated, the cost of expressway construction and maintenance will be borne by taxpayers regardless of whether or not they use the expressways or even own cars. But the issue isn't that simple.