CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Expressway driving on Okinawa and in the Sasebo and Misawa areas of mainland Japan will remain toll-free until at least the end of April, the West Nippon Expressway Co. announced this week.

Under a pilot program that kicked off in June 2010 and was to end at the of March, a total of about 1,000 miles — about 20 percent of the nation’s toll roads — are toll-free for all vehicles. The program has been met with harsh criticism from some lawmakers, however the government has yet to make a final decision on whether to maintain or cut it.

The areas covered include the entire Okinawa Expressway, portions of Aomori Expressway near Misawa and West Kyushu Expressway in Sasebo, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.