On June 20, the expressway toll system was changed to accommodate victims of the March 11 triple disasters. People who have been certified as having suffered from the earthquake and tsunami, or as evacuees due to the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, are now exempt from toll payments on expressways in the Tohoku region.

Buses and trucks using expressways in Tohoku are also exempt from paying tolls. Disaster victims who must travel between their homes and temporary shelters will benefit from the policy. The volume of commercial and relief goods delivered to the devastated areas may increase.

The government has abolished the ¥1,000 cap for passenger cars traveling on weekends and national holidays, as well as the toll-free tests at 50 sections of the nation's expressways. But the government is considering expanding toll-free travel to all vehicles using expressways in the Tohoku region for a period of about one year starting this summer.