Thanks for the comments, everyone, whether supportive or critical. I hope that my attitude is not off-putting. This kind of back/forth discussion for and against, to me, is necessary. I love it! It brings out all angles and possibilities.
@KenyanLyrics, I'm heading to your website now.
@MajiMaji, do you have a site I can connect with you at, or a disposable email account I can use to contact you?
I did receive a call from East Nippon Expressway Company, and they told me that they couldn't confirm whether or not the photo is an earlier picture of the road or not, but that the road did look very similar to the picture six days after repairs started! Here's the catch- the road was not, and is not, fully repaired. They used local dirt, left big holes in the ground where they got the dirt (no time to backfill the source holes), backfilled the cracks, and then used a thin layer of quick-setting asphalt to create a roadway surface. They were very clear that this is not a complete repair, because it A) cannot handle heavy trucks, B) cannot be used anywhere near full speed- all vehicles must be considerably slowed down to pass this area of road C) must be constantly monitored for issues such as cracks and shifts, D) cannot be used but for a few hours a day, and E) must be properly rebuilt in a few months. They call this "emergency passable condition". So this would not work for constructing roads unless it was just temporary. So "fixed" is not the proper word; "rigged" is. The stories on the Internet were an exaggeration that left out key information.
One more thing... they said they keep having to close it and do more work because aftershocks have damaged it.
Best,
Jason Hill