ETC-Only Expressway Gates Increasing in Japan

Tokyo, May 5 (Jiji Press)--Tollgates on expressways in Japan are being replaced with those accepting only vehicles equipped with an electronic toll collection system at an accelerated pace.

The number of interchanges that reject toll payments with credit cards and cash is increasing year after year, and expressway operators aim to complete their shifts to ETC-only gates at almost all toll stations across the country, totaling about 1,500, by around fiscal 2030.

The introduction of ETC-only lanes is designed to ease congestions and facilitate labor-saving.

Under a road map announced in December 2020, the transport ministry plans to promote installations of ETC-only gates first in the Tokyo, Chukyo and Kinki metropolitan areas, aiming to complete the nationwide introduction by fiscal 2030, which ends in March 2031.

As of February this year, the combined ETC lane utilization rate stood at 95.8 pct at the country's six expressway operators--East Nippon Expressway Co., or Nexco East, Central Nippon Expressway Co., or Nexco Central, West Nippon Expressway Co., or Nexco West, Metropolitan Expressway Co., Hanshin Expressway Co. and Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Co.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]