News ETC system glitch disrupts toll roads across central Japan

A major system failure has continued to affect electronic toll collection (ETC) across central Japan following a breakdown that began in the early hours of 7 April. According to Central Nippon Expressway Co, by 4 a.m., ETC malfunctions had been reported at 106 toll booths along 17 expressway routes spanning Tokyo and the prefectures of Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, and Mie.


The outage started around 12:30 a.m. on 6 April and persists. The company suspects the issue is linked to system modification work carried out the day before. In the meantime, affected toll gates have been opened for free passage, with tolls to be billed later once the system is restored. This measure will remain in effect until normal operations resume.

According to the transport ministry, ETC usage has surged from 1.6 per cent in 2002 to 95.3 per cent this year. With an average of 7.74 million drivers using it daily, the system has become an essential part of the country's transportation infrastructure. According to a ministry official, the ETC system has become increasingly complex due to repeated upgrades, which is likely prolonging the restoration process.

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