Japan Tunnel Collapse Threatens to Add to Fiscal Burden: Economy
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Japan’s fatal tunnel tragedy this week escalated a political debate over infrastructure spending as the nation heads for elections, bringing focus to aging transport networks in the world’s third-largest economy.
The 4-kilometer tunnel near Mt. Fuji that saw about 270 concrete slabs each weighing 1.4 tons fall and cause the deaths of nine people was built in the 1970s. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda yesterday said while repairs are a priority, the opposition Liberal Democratic Party’s call for broader infrastructure spending is a throwback to “wasteful pork-barrel” projects.