# Section 7 Development of Postal Service Administration

### 1. Secure and smooth execution of privatization of Japan Post

Japan started the privatization of its postal services on October 1, 2007, with the aim of increasing its independence, creativity and efficiency, promoting fair and free competition, improving convenience and revitalizing the economy through the provision of diversified and high quality services, while maintaining the level of postal networks and the standard of postal/deposit/insurance services of post offices. Various opinions and views have been expressed by users with regard to the level of postal networks and services. Based on these opinions, the MIC appropriately supervises privatized companies and incessantly investigates the post-privatization conditions, asking for opinions from government-related organizations, such as the Postal Privatization Committee, and makes necessary improvements.

### 2. Outline of correspondence delivery system

The Law Concerning Correspondence Delivery Provided by Private-Sector Operators paved the way for private enterprises entering the corresponding delivery business, which had been monopolized by the state.

Correspondence delivery falls into two categories; general correspondence delivery and special correspondence delivery. Since the enforcement of the said law in April 2003, nearly 300 business operators entered the special correspondence delivery business although none in general correspondence delivery business. Both are subject to approval by the MIC.

### 3. Promotion of new postal administration

In response to the postal service privatization of October 2007 and emerging movements in the field of postal and correspondence delivery services, such as movements entailed by the enforcement of the postal reform law in the United States, the MIC established the Investigation Study Group for Reviewing Postal and Mail Delivery Services in February 2007 with the aim of reviewing the overall system for postal and mail delivery services after the postal service privatization, and an interim report and final report were developed in November 2007 and July 2008, respectively. The final report recommends an ideal future system to be realized in the medium and long term: a system whereby participating business operators are able to provide services using their own originality and ingenuity. In response to the recommendation, the MIC set up the Study Group to Ensure Postal Services in September 2008 to deepen discussions on the vision of universal postal services.

With respect to the promotion of personal data protection, the MIC held meetings of the Study Group on Protection of Personal Information in Corresponding Delivery Service Field and the Study Group on Protection of Personal Information in Postal Service Field from December 2006 to January 2007. Based on the deliberations of these study groups, the MIC formulated and announced the Guidelines for Personal Information Protection in Corresponding Delivery Service Field and the Guidelines for Personal Information Protection in Postal Service Field in March 2008.

Furthermore, the 24th Congress of the Universal Postal Union, the highest decision-making body of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from July to August 2008, and formulated basic action policies (Nairobi Postal Strategy) for the next four years, revised union documents that stipulate regulations for international postal services and deliberated on the union budget. In March 2009, the 10th Asia-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) Congress convened in Auckland, New Zealand, and hosted workshops concerning postal sector regulations, deliberated on future budgets and held elections for the position of director of the APPU bureau.