Kanto Bureau updates Routes 6 and 50 boundaries and opens Route 4

The Kanto Regional Development Bureau announced in the Official Gazette dated October 19, 2026, changes to the road areas of National Route 6 and National Route 50, and the commencement of service for a section of National Route 4. These three notices (Notification Nos. 228 to 230) were promulgated in the name of Kentaro Nishizawa, Director-General of the Kanto Regional Development Bureau, based on Article 18 of the Road Act (Act No. 180 of 1952). The date for the commencement of service is the same date, and the relevant drawings regarding the area changes will be available for public inspection for two weeks starting from that date.

In the table of contents of the Official Gazette, these three items are listed under the “Other Notifications” column as “Matters concerning roads (Kanto Regional Development Bureau 228–230).” Article 18, Paragraph 1 of the Road Act stipulates that changes to road areas must be notified, and Paragraph 2 stipulates that the commencement of road service must be notified; in this instance, two area changes and one commencement of service were announced simultaneously. All targets are general national highways managed by the Kanto Regional Development Bureau, spanning Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures.

National Route 6: Area change for the section from Otsu-cho to Hiragata-cho in Kita-Ibaraki City

Notification No. 228 changes the road area of National Route 6. The changed items are as follows:

• Road Type: General National Highway
• Route Name: Route 6
• Section: From 2682-1, Aza-Futsura, Otsu-cho, Kita-Ibaraki City to 646-1, Aza-Kyozuka, Hiragata-cho, same city
• Site Width: A 10.00–48.00 meters, B 8.35–123.55 meters
• Length: A 2.060 kilometers, B 1.954 kilometers
• Drawing Inspection Location: Kanto Regional Development Bureau and its Hitachi River and National Highway Office

The width and length are indicated in two categories, A and B, which correspond to the site divisions shown on the relevant drawings.

National Route 50: Area change for the section from Yuki City to Chikusei City

Notification No. 230 changes the road area of National Route 50. The changed items are as follows:

• Road Type: General National Highway
• Route Name: Route 50
• Section: From 3977-2, Aza-Omizugawara, Oaza-Yuki, Yuki City to 1310-5, Aza-Tagauchi, Nunokawa, Chikusei City
• Site Width: A 9.00–46.20 meters, B 22.20–103.20 meters
• Length: A 1.950 kilometers, B 2.070 kilometers
• Drawing Inspection Location: Kanto Regional Development Bureau and its Utsunomiya National Highway Office

This route serves as the east-west axis of Northern Kanto, and the total length subject to the area change reaches approximately 4 kilometers (A and B combined).

National Route 4: Commencement of service for the Mishima section in Nasushiobara City

Notification No. 229 concerns the commencement of service for a road on National Route 4. This is a notification based on Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the Road Act, and the details are as follows:

• Route Name: Route 4
• Section Opening for Service: From 7-4 Mishima 3-chome, Nasu-Shiobara City to 25-4 Mishima 4-chome in the same city (however, only the portions indicated on the relevant drawings)
• Opening Date: October 19, 2026
• Location for Inspection of Drawings: Kanto Regional Development Bureau and the Utsunomiya National Highway Office of the same bureau

A notable feature is that the opening date is set for the same day as the date of the notification, meaning it becomes open to traffic simultaneously with the public announcement.

Drawings Require Two-Week Inspection and On-Site Verification

All three cases explicitly state that “the relevant drawings shall be open for public inspection for two weeks starting from October 19, 2026.” Since area boundaries and plot divisions can only be determined via the drawings, landowners and businesses along the route must verify the details at the Kanto Regional Development Bureau headquarters or the respective national highway offices. The inspection period will last until early November.

This notification covers sections that support arterial logistics for the Joban, North Kanto, and Tohoku regions: Route 6 in Kita-Ibaraki City, Route 50 in Yūki City and Chikusei City, and Route 4 in Nasu-Shiobara City. Changes to the designated areas serve as a prerequisite for future widening and improvements through the finalization of land acquisition, and the opening for service will directly impact the routes of residents and through-traffic in the Mishima district of Nasu-Shiobara City.

Source: Official Gazette (October 19, 2026) Other Notifications, Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notification No. 228 (Route 6 Road Area Change), No. 229 (Route 4 Opening for Service), and No. 230 (Route 50 Road Area Change). All promulgated in the name of Kentaro Nishizawa, Director-General of the Kanto Regional Development Bureau, based on Article 18 of the Road Act (Act No. 180 of 1952).