Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe requested on May 19 relevant cabinet members to accelerate concession of infrastructure to be awarded to private sectors, instructing to increase the investment up to 3 trillion yen by 2017. The government also decided to lift a ban of concession lease of toll roads on the day. Once a necessary law amendment completed, it will be approved to sell rights to operate expressways that a local road authority of Aichi Prefecture has been studying.

Enhancement of concession businesses will be included in the Growth Strategy that the administration is due to release in June. Earlier on the day at the advisory panel, the prime minister expressed his intention to increase the number of concession dramatically in light of revitalization of local economies and effective use of public resources. The instructions to the ministers include speeding up the process to achieve the target to increase the business value to 2-3 trillion yen, which was decided last June. 　The panel recommended that the government should start concession or discussion toward implementing concession of at least 19 infrastructures in the four sectors of airports, sewer, toll roads, and water in the three-year period. (2014/5/21)