TOKYO (Reuters) - Financial services provider Orix Corp (>> ORIX CORPORATION) and French partner Vinci SA (>> Vinci) have been shortlisted in an auction of the rights to manage five toll roads in central Japan, sources with knowledge of the process said.

Japan's Aichi prefecture, home for Toyota Motor Corp (>> Toyota Motor Corp), is trying to sell the rights to run the toll roads for at least 120 billion yen (780 million pounds).

Other groups shortlisted in the auction include contractor Maeda Corp (>> MAEDA CORPORATION) allied with Australia's Macquarie Group (>> Macquarie Group Ltd), and a consortium led by Kumagai Gumi Co (>> Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd.), said the sources, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to media.

The second round of bidding for the rights to operate the toll roads will close in May, with the winning bid to be decided in June, said an Aichi prefecture official.

The contracts to run the roads will last up to 30 years.

Representatives of the bidding companies declined to comment, and officials from Aichi prefecture would provide no further details.

The sale of the rights to run government-owned toll roads would be a first in Japan.

The country, however, has been gradually privatising airports under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has pledged to accelerate the privatisation of state assets.

Orix, with partner Vinci, this month started running the Kansai International Airport, Japan's fifth busiest, after winning the right for 2.2 trillion yen last year.

Maeda will start running the Sendai Airport in northern Japan in July in a consortium led by railway operator Tokyu Corp (>> Tokyu Corp).

(Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Tom Hogue)