Japan elections “And the future is certain, give us time to work it out,” sang the Talking Heads in Road to Nowhere, a lyric that fits the Democratic Party of Japan well. After its crushing victory at the polls last Sunday, the DPJ deserves some time to work out how to turn a populist manifesto into a coherent plan for government, but in doing so it should modify at least one ill-conceived policy: the elimination of Japan’s highway tolls.
The DPJ’s aim is to stimulate Japan’s regions – which are losing people and wealth – by lowering distribution costs. That is a laudable goal, but encouraging too many people to use a road has costs, which is why governments around the world want to introduce tolls, not scrap them.
