Takenaka to visit Italy, Britain for talks with posts minister

Japanese Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka will visit Italy and Britain on a five-day European trip from Saturday, the government said.

In Italy, his first stop, he will hold talks with Poste Italiane President Enzo Cardi and Minister for Communications Maurizio Gasparri in connection with a Japanese plan to privatise Japan Post, the government-backed corporation in charge of mail delivery, postal savings and insurance.

Poste Italiane was earlier privatised on the basis of the Italian government’s entity in charge of postal services.

Prior to the talks, Takenaka will inspect the state of “agritourism” — efforts to boost local economies by combining agriculture and tourism — at a location on the outskirts of Rome, government officials said.

In Britain, he will exchange views on financial-system policies with Bank of England Governor Mervyn King and Financial Services Authority Chairman Callum McCarthy, they said.