The Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency (hereafter referred to as "the Agency") was established, along with six expressway companies (hereafter referred to as "the Companies"), under four laws regarding the privatization of four highway public corporations, which were enacted in accordance with the Japanese Government's policy of privatizing the four public corporations, as spelled out in the Reorganization and Rationalization Plan for Special Public Corporations (approved in a Cabinet meeting on December 19, 2001)