Akihiro Ohata, the new transport minister, says a clear position on toll-free expressways needs to be established by three years.

"We need to proceed (with the plan) step by step. It's important to come up with a conclusion in two to three years' time," the new chief of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism said in a recent group interview.

Making expressways toll-free was one of the pillars of the Democratic Party of Japan's platform for the 2009 Lower House election that brought the DPJ to power.