The administration of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi froze proposed expressway growth at 9,342 km to halt unnecessary projects. But in a reversal of this policy, an advisory panel for the infrastructure and transport minister, which discusses national development and construction of main roads, has decided to build new expressway sections — the first such decision that has been made in 10 years.

The infrastructure and transport ministry views the government's economic stimulus as an opportunity to break the freeze on new expressway construction. The fact that the advisory panel made the decision after just two hours of discussion suggests that the meeting was a mere formality. The decision reflects the Aso Cabinet's desire to use expressway construction to buoy the economy and to attract voters in the next Lower House election.

The panel calls for construction of a 16-km section of the Gaikan expressway around Tokyo, a 12-km section in Aichi Prefecture for the Nagoya No. 2 loop expressway, another 12-km section in Yamagata Prefecture for the Tohoku expressway along the Sea of Japan, and a 31-km section in Ibaraki Prefecture for the East Kanto Expressway Mito Route.

The total cost of construction for the four projects is about ¥1.5 trillion. Of it, slightly less than ¥1.3 trillion will go to the construction of Tokyo's 16-km section, which will be built more than 40 meters underground. The necessity of these projects may be questioned, and it is conceivable that at least one, the Gaikan extension, could have a negative impact by encouraging a further concentration of business activities in Tokyo.

Still, expressways can play an important role in improving quality of life in the countryside by promoting industry and tourism, and reducing congestion on narrow local roads. From this perspective, though, one wonders whether the panel fully discussed which areas are in most need of expressway construction. If the government and political parties are set on building additional expressway sections, they should do so with the aim of long-term improvement of local economies that have been shattered by declining job prospects and a dwindling population.