Japan Post Notified of Ban on Mini Cargo Vehicle Use

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s transport ministry issued Wednesday a notice of suspending 111 post offices across the country from using mini cargo vehicles for delivery services for up to 160 days from Oct. 8, due to their failures to properly conduct roll calls, including mandatory alcohol checks, for drivers. The ministry is expected to slap a similar ban on some 2,000 post offices in total in the country’s 47 prefectures by March next year, after revoking a permit for Japan Post Co.’s truck operations in June over such law violations detected at about 2,400 offices, which account for around 75 pct of post offices undertaking mail and parcel delivery operations. The initial round of the mini cargo vehicle ban will affect 188 units, with as many as seven units each at the Fukagawa office in Tokyo and the Onomichi office in Hiroshima Prefecture going out of service for a half month and one each at 11 other offices, such as Hokkaido’s Hidaka office and Shizuoka Prefecture’s Yugashima office, out for 160 days. Even nine offices with only one unit, including the Tayama office in Iwate Prefecture and the Hayakawa office in Toyama Prefecture, will be prohibited from using their vehicles. To cope with the situation, Japan Post is likely to outsource delivery services while having unaffected neighboring post offices give support. After receiving the notice at the ministry’s Tokyo branch, Japan Post Executive Officer Yoshihiro Gomi said, “Taking it seriously, we will make utmost effort to regain public trust.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]