News On Japan

Japan Post to Suspend Use of Light Vehicles at 100 Post Offices Due to Roll Call Issue

TOKYO - Japan Post is facing new sanctions after the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued notices of administrative action against about 100 post offices nationwide for failing to properly conduct roll calls to confirm delivery staff readiness.

The measure, disclosed by people familiar with the matter, will suspend the use of light vehicles such as minicars for a set period.

The administrative action is based on the Road Transportation Business Act. In June, the ministry already revoked Japan Post’s permits for around 2,500 cargo trucks used for inter-hub transport, a penalty lasting five years.

If the additional ban on light vehicles takes effect, Japan Post could face serious disruption to parcel delivery services. The suspension is expected to further strain the company’s logistics network and heighten concerns about broader impacts on distribution.

Source: テレ東BIZ

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 26 (Surigae) is expected to intensify as it moves over unusually warm waters south of Japan, potentially bringing prolonged periods of strong winds, heavy rain and dangerous seas to Okinawa from September 27, according to the latest forecast issued at 9 p.m. on September 25.

Residents in flood-hit areas of Chiba Prefecture continued clearing mud and damaged belongings from their homes on September 25 as emergency repairs began on a breached embankment at Lake Inba, with fresh heavy rain forecast for the weekend and Typhoon No. 26 threatening to bring further disruption next week.

Japan's teenage skateboarders delivered two gold medals and two bronze medals on September 25, with 15-year-olds Mizuho Hasegawa and Ian Nagahara winning the women's and men's park competitions at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

A major traffic accident involving 10 vehicles, including trucks and passenger cars, left one man seriously injured and nine others with minor injuries on the Daini Shinmei Road in Kobe on September 24, forcing the closure of part of the expressway.

An All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight bound for Saga Airport made an emergency landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa at 10:05 p.m. on September 23 after developing trouble with its right engine shortly after takeoff, with some passengers suffering minor injuries during an emergency evacuation.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate climbed to 3.115% during trading, reaching its highest level in nearly 30 years for the second consecutive day as persistent inflation concerns and expectations of further interest rate hikes fueled selling in government bonds.

Tokyo stocks rose strongly on September 25, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,364, up 850 points, as buying in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares combined with demand for dividend-paying financial stocks ahead of the September 28 interim dividend deadline.

Prices of used condominiums in Tokyo fell for the first time in two years and four months in August, ending a 28-month streak of increases, while neighboring Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures recorded their fourth consecutive month of gains.

SoftBank Group announced on September 24 that it will issue approximately 1.76 trillion yen worth of foreign currency-denominated bonds, the largest simultaneous bond offering in its history, to finance a further $10 billion investment in OpenAI as founder Masayoshi Son accelerates his strategy of building a global business spanning artificial intelligence, semiconductors and data centers.

Tokyo stocks rose on September 24, with the Nikkei 225 climbing to 65,647, up 628 points, as investors returned from the Silver Week break with renewed appetite for artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares, while the broader TOPIX edged lower as value and financial stocks came under pressure.

Japan's beer industry is preparing for a major transformation as a liquor tax revision takes effect on October 1, unifying tax rates across beer, happoshu and third-category beer for the first time, with conventional beer becoming cheaper while lower-priced alternatives face tax increases.

Japan is stepping up efforts to revive its shipbuilding industry, aiming to double annual construction volume by 2035 through government-backed investment in next-generation vessels, ship repair facilities and liquefied natural gas carriers, while Japanese manufacturers accelerate the development of hydrogen-powered engines and other advanced maritime technologies.

Japan's transition toward an economy with higher interest rates is creating sharply different outcomes for households, with younger generations facing rising mortgage repayments while older savers stand to benefit from increased deposit interest, following the Bank of Japan's decision to raise its policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25%.