LDP panel holds first public hearing on Japan postal privatisation
A Liberal Democratic Party panel on postal services held its first regional public hearing on Wednesday in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, to hear the concerns of rural residents who fear that the government-led privatisation may erode the quality of postal services.
The LDP panel also plans to hold pubic hearings in Aomori and Kumamoto by next week and to summarize the LDP’s position on the privatisation issue before a Cabinet reshuffle expected next month.
The panel, led by House of Representatives member Jin Murai, hopes to provide counter proposals to the two main components of the government-led plan to privatise the postal service — dividing postal services into several entities and turning Japan Post into a joint stock corporation.
Japan Post, created in April 2003 as a government-backed entity to take over the mail delivery, postal savings and life insurance business, is currently under the supervision of the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry.
About 50 people affiliated with local postal service attended the hearing in Soka. Apart from Murai, other panelists included Hiroshi Imai, director of the ruling party’s Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Division, and other LDP Diet members from Saitama.
