Japan Highway Public Corporation

Japan Highway Public Corporation was established as a special corporation under the Japan Highway Public Corporation Act, which was promulgated in April 1956. In October 2005, it was privatized along with the Metropolitan Expressway Public Corporation (now the Metropolitan Expressway Company), the Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation (now the Hanshin Expressway Company), and the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority (now the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority), and was divided into three companies: East Nippon Expressway Company, Central Nippon Expressway Company, and West Nippon Expressway Company. The Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Corporation was established together with these six privatized companies, and is responsible for the ownership of expressways and the repayment of debts from the public corporation period. The former Japan Highway Public Corporation's business objective was to ensure smooth traffic by managing the construction and management of expressways, general toll roads, and related facilities nationwide. Construction costs were covered by investments and borrowings from the government and loans from private financial institutions, and repayments were made through tolls approved by the government. In July 1963, the first expressway, the Meishin Expressway, stretching from Komaki City in Aichi Prefecture to Nishinomiya City in Hyogo Prefecture, opened with the 71.1 km section between Ritto and Amagasaki, and the entire route was opened in July 1965, followed by the Tomei Expressway in May 1969. Construction continued in various locations thereafter, with the goal of completing a 14,000 km high-standard trunk road network as decided by the Cabinet in 1987, and as of the end of March 2004, the total length of expressways had reached 7,353.6 km. When the Meishin Expressway was opened, an average of about 40,000 vehicles used the expressways per day, but today this figure has reached approximately 7 million.

[Masumi Mori]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1956年（昭和31）4月に公布施行の日本道路公団法に基づいて設立された特殊法人。2005年（平成17）10月に首都高速道路公団（現首都高速道路株式会社）、阪神高速道路公団（現阪神高速道路株式会社）、本州四国連絡橋公団（現本州四国連絡高速道路株式会社）とともに民営化し、東日本高速道路、中日本高速道路、西日本高速道路の3社に分割された。この民営化された6会社とともに独立行政法人日本高速道路保有・債務返済機構が設立され、ここで高速道路の保有ならびに公団時代の債務返済が行われることとなった。旧日本道路公団は、高速道路、一般有料道路および関連施設の建設・管理を全国的組織で統括し、円滑な交通を確保することが事業目的であった。建設費用は国からの出資や借入、民間金融機関からの融資によってまかない、償還は国の認可する通行料金で行っていた。1963年7月に最初の高速道路として愛知県小牧市から兵庫県西宮(にしのみや)市に至る名神高速道路のうち栗東(りっとう)―尼崎(あまがさき)間71.1キロメートルを開通させ65年7月全線開通、ついで69年5月には東名高速道路が全線開通、以後各地で建設を進め、87年に閣議決定した1万4000キロメートルの高規格幹線道路網の完成を目ざし、2004年3月末現在で高速道路は開通延長7353.6キロメートルとなった。高速道路を利用する車は名神高速道路開通の年1日平均約4万台であったのが現在では約700万台に達している。

［森　真澄］

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