Posts ministry eyes cutting back types of registered mail

The posts ministry is considering cutting back on loss-making special mail
services such as registered mail, ministry sources said Wednesday. The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications
plans to allow private businesses to enter the letter delivery field in line
with a government plan to turn the Postal Services Agency into a
government-backed entity in 2003. The agency oversees the three main divisions of national postal services —
mail, insurance and savings. Since the entry of private competitors into the field is expected to fuel
competition, the ministry wants to remove unprofitable services from the new
entity’s lineup of services, the sources said. The government racked up more than 20 billion yen losses in both fiscal 1998
and fiscal 1999 on special mail services. Page NA THIS IS THE FULL TEXT: COPYRIGHT 2001 Kyodo News International, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale GroupJAPAN WEEKLY MONITOR, 23rd July 2001