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Yomiuri Shimbun
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Post: Organizational Laxity Invited Unusually Severe Penalty
Japan Post Co. has been forced to cease use of many of its vehicles due to widespread legal violations that disregarded safety in its postal service, which supports people's lives. The firm must prevent any similar incidents while working to reduce disruptions. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has decided to revoke Japan Post's relevant license under the Motor Truck Transportation Business Law after it was found that the company failed to conduct roll calls for delivery drivers or did not conduct them in the proper manner. About 2,500 vehicles, including trucks, that are owned by post offices nationwide will no longer be available for use. A new license cannot be obtained for five years after it is revoked. This is the most severe penalty under the law, and it is highly unusual for a major shipping company to be given such a punishment. The roll calls are intended to check on the health of drivers and whether they have alcohol in their system. This is a mandatory practice for shipping companies as a prerequisite for safe operations. However, Japan Post found in an investigation that more than 70%, or about 2,400, of its post offices nationwide offering delivery and collection services had failed to conduct roll calls properly. The ministry then conducted a special audit and found that, in addition to the problem with roll calls, many records were also falsified. Disregarding laws and regulations and neglecting measures meant to ensure safety are unacceptable. That such widespread violations were left unresolved shows just how lax the corporate culture is at Japan Post. When did this malpractice start? A thorough investigation must be conducted. What is most concerning is the effect this scandal could have on Japan Post's postal and parcel delivery services. Japan Post delivers mail and parcels via truck between larger postal offices, which serve as hubs. About 32,000 microvans and other small vehicles are used for services such as home deliveries and to collect mail from mailboxes. With the House of Councillors election and the traditional summer gift-giving season approaching, the volume of deliveries is expected to increase. The delivery of letters, postcards and other types of personal correspondence is a basic service that allows people to communicate with one another. These deliveries are subject to strict regulations, even when they are outsourced only partially. Japan Post is likely to outsource some of its services to other shipping companies for the time being. However, there is a serious shortage of truck drivers, so securing new outsourcing partners will not be easy. The ministry plans to conduct an audit on microvans and other types of vehicles in the future. While smaller vehicles must be registered, companies do not have to obtain business licenses for them, meaning there is no rule to revoke permits. However, firms may still be barred from using these vehicles if there is a serious violation. Authorities must be thorough in correcting such improper practices. With fewer letters and postcards being sent, Japan Post is facing a difficult financial situation as its postal and logistics businesses continue to be in the red. This scandal could have a growing impact on people's lives. Japan Post should once again reflect on how disregarding laws and regulations not only deals a serious blow to its business but also places a heavy burden on the people. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 8, 2025)
Yomiuri Shimbun
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Post Offices' Improper Roll Calls for Drivers: Deep-rooted Culture of Disregard for Laws and Regulations
Another large-scale violation of laws and regulations has been uncovered at the Japan Post Group. Why is there a spate of scandals at one of Japan's largest organizations? The new management team must determine the root cause. Japan Post Co. has announced that it failed to properly conduct roll calls for drivers of delivery vehicles at about 2,400 locations, or 75% of its nationwide post offices that offer collection and delivery services. The Motor Truck Transportation Business Law requires operators to conduct roll calls for drivers before and after each ride to confirm their health and whether they are under the influence of alcohol, among other concerns. It is unacceptable to neglect safety measures for postal vehicles driving in towns. There have been many cases in which records were fabricated to pretend that roll calls were conducted, according to Japan Post. It is obvious that an atmosphere of disregard for laws and regulations pervaded the workplaces. In addition to the workplaces, there is also a serious lack of governance in the company as a whole. Japan Post's head office and branch offices only confirmed roll calls through documents. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has begun a special audit of Japan Post. If irregularities are confirmed, the ministry intends to take actions such as suspending the use of vehicles at those post offices. All of the wrongdoing should be eliminated from the company. The postal services were privatized in 2007. Subsequently, in 2019, inappropriate contracting by Japan Post Insurance Co. on a large scale was uncovered and became a social problem. In March this year, too, the misappropriation of customer information for about 10 million people at post offices and other facilities across Japan also came to light. It has been pointed out that one of the reasons behind the spate of scandals at Japan Post Holdings Co. is that it still retains the corporate culture from the time when it was a government corporation. It has been noted that Japan Post has effectively maintained a monopoly in the mail delivery business and tends to lose its sense of urgency due to a lack of competition. Of the about 24,000 post offices nationwide, more than three-quarters are former government-commissioned special post offices. The national association of postmasters, mainly made up of the directors of these post offices, is a powerful support base for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and it has the power to greatly influence management. After privatization, successive presidents who were brought in from the outside were forced to consider the wishes of former government-commissioned special post offices and have struggled to spread their management policies to the rank and file. Efforts for management efficiency and a thorough awareness of legal compliance were also insufficient. Hiroya Masuda, the president of Japan Post Holdings, who took up the post in 2020, is scheduled to step down in June amid the continuing scandals. He will be succeeded by Kazuyuki Negishi, a managing executive officer of Japan Post Holdings. This will be the first time since privatization that a former postal bureaucrat is appointed as president from inside. Negishi may have an advantage because he is familiar with the postal business. He should demonstrate leadership to promote reforms with a sense of urgency that the businesses will lose the public's trust if things continue as they are. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 30, 2025)
