Tokyo- More than 20,000 truck drivers and some 2,300 trucks took to the streets across Japan Tuesday to demand countermeasures to survive high fuel prices.

The Japan Trucking Association, which represents about 51,000 trucking companies, demanded the government introduce tax cuts on diesel oil and fuel surcharge system as well as reduction of freeway toll fees.

The nation's trucking industry, which is made up of small-to- medium-size firms, is threatened unless appropriate measures are taken, the association said in a statement.

As the price of diesel more than doubled in five years, the annual expenses in the industry exceeded 1 trillion yen (9.12 billion dollars), the group said.

The crisis has forced many firms to file for bankruptcy and businesses to fold, it added. (dpa)