Japan Post to end Saturday standard mail delivery next year

Japan Today -- Aug 07

A government panel decided Tuesday to end Saturday delivery for standard mail to deal with a labor shortage at Japan Post Co and a drop in demand due to increased use of the internet.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications accepted the proposal from the panel and will seek a law amendment at an extraordinary Diet session this fall. Delivery on Saturday could be terminated possibly next year and it will be available only on weekdays.

The panel also proposed that delivery for standard mail the day after posting be ended.

Japan Post, a unit of Japan Post Holdings Co, has been calling for a review to trim standard mail service hours to five days a week from the current six days to address the workforce shortage. The government holds a more than 50 percent stake in Japan Post Holdings.

The unit estimates the changes will lift its profit from the postal service business by 62.5 billion yen through reducing labor costs, which are on the rise due to the staffing shortfall.

Aug 07 (ANNnewsCH) - 「働き方改革」の一環で普通郵便の土曜配達が廃止される見通しです。 インターネットの普及によって封書やはがきなどの普通郵便が減る一方、単身世帯の増加で配達先は増えて現場では人手不足が続いています。このため、総務省は平日のみの配達について検討を進め、6日の有識者会議で了承されました。総務省は郵便法改正案を秋の臨時国会に提出する見通しで、来年4月のサービス移行を目指します。速達やゆうパックなどはこれまで通り土曜日も配達されます。