Higashi-Kanto Expressway Mito Line extends from Narita to Tako Town

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Kanto Regional Development Bureau announced in the Official Gazette dated November 6, 2026, that a section of approximately 9.1 kilometers in Yoshioka, Narita City on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway Mito Line will open for service at 15:00 on November 7. The opening as a high-standard highway is based on MLIT Notice No. 1330, and the connecting general national highway sections are based on Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notices No. 240 and No. 241. Relevant drawings will be available for public inspection starting November 6.

The notifying authority based on Article 7, Paragraph 2 of the High-Standard Highway Act (Act No. 79 of 1957) is Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tatsunori Ibayashi, and the notifying authority based on Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the Road Act (Act No. 180 of 1952) is Director-General of the Kanto Regional Development Bureau Kentaro Nishizawa. This opening is positioned as a phased transition of the expressway network extension in northeastern Chiba Prefecture from prefectural roads and general national highways to motor-vehicle-only roads.

Scope of Service Section, Width, and Confirmed Length

• The section as a high-standard highway extends from 132-113 Oyasuba, Yoshioka, Narita City to 319-14 Inugaya, Kita, Tako Town, Katori District, Chiba Prefecture, with a length of 9.116 kilometers and a width ranging from 24.17 meters to 287.47 meters. Drawings will be available for inspection at the Kanto Regional Development Bureau for 30 days starting November 6.
• The service section of the Mito Line main body is from 132-18 Oyasuba, Yoshioka, Narita City to 1342-48 Oyasuba, Yoshioka, Narita City. The service start date is 15:00 on November 7, 2026.
• The service section as General National Highway 468 is from 1295-89 Oyasuba, Yoshioka, Narita City to 319-14 Inugaya, Kita, Tako Town, Katori District, Chiba Prefecture (limited to the portions shown on the relevant drawings). The date is likewise November 7 at 15:00, and drawings will be available for inspection for two weeks at the Kanto Regional Development Bureau and its Chiba National Highway Office.

Designation as Motor-Vehicle-Only Roads and Changes in Legal Status under the Road Act

Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notice No. 239, based on Article 48-2, Paragraph 2 of the Road Act, designated a portion of General National Highway 468 as a motor-vehicle-only road. This applies to four sections across Babayama, Kido-mukai, O-yoro, and Ushiroda/Miyadai in Magura, and Okura in Iizasa, all within Ikuwada, Tako Town, Katori District, Chiba Prefecture, limited to the portions shown on the relevant drawings.

In accordance with this designation, National Public Safety Commission Notice No. 51 (Chairperson Yasuhiro Nashi) has partially amended 1999 National Public Safety Commission Notice No. 16 based on Article 110, Paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Act No. 105 of 1960). The section of General National Route 468 treated as a motor vehicle-only road has been changed from “from Nakashinda, Ebina City to Narita City” to “from Nakashinda, Ebina City to Tako Town, Katori District, Chiba Prefecture,” and this notice will come into effect on November 7, 2026.

Changes to Road Areas and Public Inspection of Drawings

The Official Gazette of the same day also publicized changes to road areas accompanying the opening for service. Based on Article 18, Paragraph 1 of the Road Act, the drawings will be available for public inspection for two weeks starting November 6.

• Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notice No. 242: General National Route 52, in the section of Ohatsu, Namiki, Minobu Town, Minamikoma District, Yamanashi Prefecture; the site width is changed from 63.00–73.24 meters to 64.45–74.26 meters. The extension is 0.007 kilometers. Inspection locations are the Kanto Regional Development Bureau and its Kofu River and National Highway Office.
• Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notice No. 243: General National Route 468, from 647-2 Momonoki, Noyama, Bando City to 493 Shimobeppu, Shimobeppu, Tsukuba City. The width is changed from 22.20–512.68 meters to 23.17–512.68 meters, with an extension of 11.645 kilometers. The entity responsible for the change is the Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency, and inspection locations are the Kanto Regional Development Bureau and its North Metropolitan National Highway Office.

This extension from Yoshioka, Narita City to Kita, Tako Town fills a gap in the arterial road connecting the area around Narita Airport and northeastern Chiba Prefecture, directly impacting route selection for logistics vehicles and commuters, as well as roadside development around interchanges. Service begins at 15:00 on November 7, and the public inspection period for the drawings is set for a maximum of 30 days from November 6, during which relevant municipalities and businesses can confirm the final values of the sections.

Sources

• Official Gazette, Friday, November 6, 2026, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Notice No. 1330 (Regarding High-Speed Motor Vehicle National Highways)
• Official Gazette, same day, Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notice No. 239 (Designation of Motor Vehicle-Only Roads)
• Official Gazette, same day, Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notice No. 240 and No. 241 (Commencement of Road Service)
• Official Gazette, same day, Kanto Regional Development Bureau Notice No. 242 and No. 243 (Changes to Road Areas)
• Official Gazette, same day, National Public Safety Commission Notice No. 51 (Partial Amendment to the Designation of Motor Vehicle-Only Roads Based on the Provisions of Article 110, Paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act)