"It is comfortable to ride in," Koizumi said after being taken for a 10-minute spin in the vehicle, dubbed the Eliica.

"It is stable and its speed is fascinating," he said.

Unveiled in October but not set to hit the road for several years, the Eliica runs on lithium-ion batteries and can reach a speed of 370 kilometers (230 miles) an hour.

It was developed by researchers at Tokyo's Keio University in cooperation with a government science-promotion body and private-sector companies such as Japan's top tiremaker Bridgestone.

On Friday, the media-savvy premier commuted to his office by riding the next-generation scooter Segway, a gift from his close friend US President George W. Bush.

In previous photo-ops, Koizumi has done laps on a bicycle and endured the impact of a crash-simulator car in front of a crowd of children to promote traffic safety.

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