democrats

Japan's Democratic Party government is in a heap of trouble over its election pledge a year ago to end tolls on the country's expressway network. Since coming to power in September last year the Democrats have managed to turn what started out as a successful political pandering into a worsening political disaster.

Japan's Democrat Party, soon to become the government following a sweeping election victory, are rapidly retreating from their detolling campaign theme. A prominent member of the new governing party Mabuchi Sumio has said the plan for nation's expressways is to do traffic modeling of all segments.

The Democrats who just swept to power in Japan in a landslide national election have promised to nationalize toll companies and end tolls by 2012. Since 9,000km, 5600 miles of tollroad in Japan constitutes the great bulk of the country's expressway system this is a most radical proposal.