Editing Japan Post (section)

{{Short description|Japanese statutory corporation}}
{{About|the former operator of postal services in Japan|the current operator|Japan Post Holdings}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Japan Post
| native_name = 日本郵政公社
| native_name_lang = ja
| romanized_name = Nippon Yūsei Kōsha
| logo = [[Image:Japan post logo.png|200px|Logo|border]]
| type = [[Statutory corporation]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|2003|4|1|df=yes}}, by reorganization of the Postal Services Agency
| fate = Privatized
| defunct = {{end date|2007|10|1|df=yes}}
| location_city = [[Kasumigaseki]], [[Chiyoda, Tokyo|Chiyoda]], [[Tokyo]]
| location_country = Japan
| key_people = [[Maejima Hisoka]]
| industry = [[Courier]]
| predecessor = Postal Services Agency of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications|Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications]]
| successor = [[Japan Post Holdings]]
| revenue = {{profit}} ¥23,061 billion [[Japanese yen|JPY]] (2006)
| net_income = {{profit}} ¥1,993 billion [[Japanese yen|JPY]] (2006)
| num_employees = 256,572 ([[Full-time job|full-time]], 2006)
| divisions = Postal Service, Postal Savings, Postal Life Insurance
| homepage = 
}}

[[File:Japan_Post.jpg|thumb|Japan Post Office head office building]]

{{Nihongo|'''Japan Post'''|日本郵政公社|Nippon Yūsei Kōsha}} was a Japanese [[statutory corporation]] that existed from 2003 to 2007, offering postal and package delivery services, [[Retail banking|banking services]], and life insurance. It is the nation's largest employer, with over 400,000 [[employee]]s, and runs 24,700 [[post office]]s throughout Japan. One third of all Japanese government employees work for Japan Post. As of 2005, the President of the company was [[Masaharu Ikuta]], formerly Chairman of [[Mitsui O.S.K. Lines|Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd]].

Japan Post ran the world's largest [[postal savings system]] and is often said to be the largest holder of personal savings in the world: with ¥224 [[Trillion (short scale)|trillion]] ($2.1 trillion) of household assets in its ''yū-cho'' savings accounts, and ¥126 trillion ($1.2 trillion) of household assets in its ''kampo'' life insurance services; its holdings account for 25 percent of household assets in Japan. Japan Post also holds about ¥140 trillion (one fifth) of the Japanese national debt in the form of government bonds.

On October 1, 2007, Japan Post was [[Postal service privatization|privatized]] following a fierce political debate that was settled by the [[2005 Japan general election|general election of 2005]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maclachlan |first=Patricia L. |date=2024 |title=Mechanisms of Resistance: Informal Institutional Impediments to Japanese Postal Privatization |url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cuny/cp/pre-prints/content-jcpo2406;jsessionid=3gjqpdu8gixro.x-ic-live-02 |website=Comparative Politics |language=en |doi=10.5129/001041524x17292553869970}}</ref> The major concern was Japan Post, with government backing, stymieing competition and giving politicians access to postal savings to fund pet projects.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Japan Post's zombie privatization is warning to Shinzo Abe|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-Post-s-zombie-privatization-is-warning-to-Shinzo-Abe|access-date=2020-07-16|website=Nikkei Asian Review|language=en-GB}}</ref> Japan Post was split into three companies in 2007, intending to be privatized by 2017.<ref name=":02" /> Following privatization, [[Japan Post Holdings]] operate the postal business.

In 2010, the privatization was put on hold, with the [[Ministry of Finance (Japan)|Japanese Ministry of Finance]] remaining the 100% shareholder. However, on October 26, 2012, the [[Japan]]ese [[government]] unveiled plans to list shares of Japan Post Holdings within three years, partly to raise [[money]] for the reconstruction of areas devastated by the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|earthquake and tsunami of 2011]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japanpost-ipo-idUSBRE89P03420121026|title=Japan govt aims to list Japan Post in three years|date=October 26, 2012 |work= Reuters }}</ref> As of 2020, the government still holds 57% of shares, and March 2028 was announced as the target date of [[privatization]].<ref name=":02" />  In October 2021, the Japanese government completed its majority privatisation process of Japan Post Holdings, but also still maintained control of most of the company's stock.<ref name=someprivate>{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/06/business/japan-post-share-sell/|title=Japan to sell 27% of Japan Post to raise reconstruction funds|agency=Reuters|publisher=The Japan Times|date=October 21, 2021|accessdate=December 11, 2021}}</ref><ref name=mostnotprivate>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/d4c3420e-124b-4bee-8e8a-df534d45947b |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/d4c3420e-124b-4bee-8e8a-df534d45947b |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Japan Post pushes ahead with $9bn share sale|first1=Leo|last1=Lewis|first2=Kana|last2=Inagaki|publisher=Financial Times|date=2021-10-06|accessdate=2021-12-08}}</ref>