Japanese cautious about postal reform
Over 70 pct of Japanese people take a cautious stance toward the envisaged privatization of Japan Post, underscoring the need for the government to drum up public support for realizing the pivotal reform item for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a Jiji Press survey showed Saturday.
In the survey, conducted in March, 48.3 pct of respondents said that an organization that will take over Japan Post should be examined from a wider point of view based on the actual performance of the state-owned body, while 25.2 pct said that Japan Post should remain the way it is. The combined percentage came well over 70 pct.
Meanwhile, only 12.6 pct said that Japan Post should be privatized as early as possible.
On postal reform, the government is slated to put together a final report on the privatization of Japan Post in the autumn and to submit related bills to the Diet, Japan’s parliament, next year.
In its interim report, a key government panel called for fully privatizing Japan Post, which offers mail and parcel delivery, savings and insurance services, over five to 10 years from 2007.
Should Japan Post be privatized, 64.6 pct of the surveyed said that post offices nationwide are bound to be scaled down chiefly in rural areas and be concentrated in big cities just like private financial institutions, far surpassing the 16.4 pct who predicted that the number of post offices will be maintained.
The outcome illustrated widespread concern that a privatization will serve to reduce the convenience of the now universal post offices.
As for the current operations of Japan Post, 23.6 pct of respondents said they often visit post office counters.
Among those who answered otherwise, 41.0 pct said they can finish their errands on automated teller machines of Japan Post, 40.4 pct said they buy stamps and postcards at convenience stores and 31.1 pct said they use private parcel delivery services. The result suggested that boosting services that users can receive without visiting counters are the key to gaining the understanding of the public.
The survey was made by sending questionnaires by mail to 12,000 adults nationwide, in which 43.5 pct replied.
