Japan Yamato Transport to cut mail prices lower than postal rates
Yamato Transport Co. (TSE:9064) announced Wednesday that it plans to cut the cost of sending mail on April 1 — resulting in lower prices than postal rates for nearly all parcels weighing 1kg or less — the same day that Japan Post, the public postal corporation, starts operations.
As part of the firm’s new fee structure aimed at capturing part of the mail market, parcels weighing 50 grams or less will cost 80 yen and those weighing 100 grams or less will cost 110 yen.
Currently, the least expensive private mail service rate is 160 yen for parcels 300 grams or less, meaning that mail weighing 75 grams or less can be sent more cheaply via the postal service.
Yamato’s mail service will drop parcels in household mailboxes, as the postal service does, and will not require confirmation as conventional home delivery services do.
The company has already spent some 7 billion yen (US$58.31 million) to install such equipment as automatic mail-sorting machines and plans to establish a system in which mail is delivered, as a rule, the next day.
The firm hopes to strengthen its mail operations by improving both the pricing and service aspects of the business.
