Japan Post will change the contents of the postal service from October 2021. Common postcards and letters will not be delivered on Saturdays and will take longer to arrive. As the content of the widely rooted infrastructure changes, it is necessary to be careful not only for individuals but also for business use. The points are summarized in 10 items.

(Photo: PIXTA)

1: What is the target of the postal service that will not arrive on Saturday?
2: Will Yu-Pack and Yu-Packet arrive even on Saturdays?
3: When will you arrive if you submit it on Saturday or Sunday?
4: What happens to the service with a specified delivery date?
5: How did the service change?
6: What about service deterioration?
7: What is the impact on business activities?
8: Can other companies handle mail in the first place?
9: Why are letters regulated?
10: What is the postal demand in the first place?

1: What is the target of the postal service that will not arrive on Saturday?

　Mail (letters and postcards), Yu-mail, smart letters, specific records. We have never delivered on Sundays and public holidays. Specifically, it will not be delivered from Saturday, October 2, 2021. If you previously posted on Friday, you’ll arrive on Monday, the beginning of the week, in areas where you arrived on Saturday.

2: Will Yu-Pack and Yu-Packet arrive even on Saturdays?

　It arrives as before. Only mail, Yu-Mail, smart letters, and specific records will be delivered on Saturdays for domestic flights. Yu-Pack and Yu-Packet will continue to be delivered on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Express delivery, registered mail, and letter packs are the same as before. The types of postal services are subdivided. You need to know which service you usually use.

3: When will you arrive if you submit it on Saturday or Sunday?

　Behind the scenes. It will change gradually from October, not uniformly. Eventually, arrivals will be Tuesday for areas that were previously offered over the weekend and arrived next Monday. Furthermore, even if you submit it on weekdays, the arrival will be delayed by one day. (In areas where delivery was next day) Monday delivery → Wednesday arrival, Tuesday delivery → Thursday arrival, Wednesday delivery → Friday arrival, Thursday delivery → Monday arrival, Friday delivery → Monday arrival. Regarding the schedule for the postponement, Japan Post says, “We are preparing to explain it one by one after the end of September.”

4: What happens to the service with a specified delivery date?

　continue. However, the charge for specifying the delivery date on Saturday will be raised from 32 yen (weekday charge) to 210 yen, which is the same level as the charge for specifying Sunday and holidays.

5: How did you change the service?

　This is due to the revision of the Postal Law, which was passed by the Diet in November 2020 (promulgated in December). In the revision of the law, the frequency of delivery of ordinary mail was changed from “more than 6 days a week” to “more than 5 days a week”. Regarding the number of delivery days, the limit of “within 3 days in principle” has been changed to “within 4 days in principle”. Regarding the background of Japan Post, “The number of mail items continues to decrease due to the spread of the Internet and the progress of the webization of various invoices. In order to provide stable postal services, it is necessary to review the service content.” “It is necessary to improve the working environment that depends on weekends and late-night work, promote work style reforms, and deal with difficulties in securing a labor force.”

6: What about service deterioration?

　While regular mail is inconvenient in terms of schedule, express delivery charges will be reduced by about 10%. If it weighs up to 250 grams, it will drop from 290 yen to 260 yen.

7: What is the impact on business activities?

　Many companies use ordinary mail to send invoices. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in January 2019, 21.9% of respondents answered that “inconvenience will occur” if delivery is lost on Saturday. On the other hand, 66.2% answered that it was “not so much”. In the future, there is a possibility that the digitization of businesses that used mail will be accelerated by substituting e-mail.

8: Can other companies handle mail in the first place?

　Letters and postcards are categorized as “general correspondence” in technical terms, and the 2003 revision of the system has made it possible for private companies to handle them. However, at the moment, only one Japan Post company is working on it because it is a framework that can not be entered unless a system such as setting up posts and daily collection and delivery is in place all over the country.

9: Why are letters regulated?

　Mail began in 1871 (Meiji 4). At that time, of course, the Internet did not exist, and quick communication means were limited to telegrams. Mail is positioned as a super-important infrastructure for information distribution, and mail deliverers are even allowed to carry pistols called “postal protection guns” to ensure safety along the way. The postwar postal law also states in Article 1 that “the purpose is to promote the public welfare by providing postal services at the lowest possible rates, uniformly and fairly.”

10: What is the postal demand in the first place?

　In the age of smartphones for each person, as the transition from real communication to the Internet progresses, postal demand peaked about 20 years ago and is declining. According to Japan Post data, the number of underwritten items in FY2020 was 15,244.03 million, a decrease of 6.8% from the previous year (excluding Yu-Pack). In particular, the rate of decrease in New Year’s cards is large.

Article credit : https://business.nikkei.com/atcl/gen/19/00210/083000019/