Japan Post accepts freight license revocation over lax alcohol tests
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan Post Co. said Tuesday it will accept the government's decision to revoke its license to operate thousands of freight vans and trucks after many post offices failed to properly check whether drivers had consumed alcohol.
With around 2,500 vehicles capable of carrying at least 1 ton sidelined, the national postal service will rely on logistics firms like Yamato Transport Co. for about 30 percent of the affected transport capacity.
The company said it will shift 20 percent of the transport capacity to its subsidiaries and cover the remainder with smaller vehicles from its own fleet to maintain logistics services.
"We deeply apologize for the trouble and causing concerns," Japan Post President Tetsuya Senda told a press conference, announcing remuneration cuts for him and other executives as well.
License revocation is the most serious administrative penalty under the motor truck transportation business law, and it bars Japan Post from reacquiring the license for five years.
The government notified Japan Post of the revocation plan earlier this month after the Tokyo-based operator revealed in April that 75 percent of its 3,188 post offices nationwide had failed to properly conduct mandatory roll calls to check whether delivery drivers had consumed alcohol.
The company said Tuesday it has found 102,000 falsified roll call records, which accounted for 18 percent of investigated incidents.
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