The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has launched a public comment solicitation concerning measures to ensure the stable and sustainable operation of Japan's postal service ^[1]. The notice was published on October 20, 2026, and comments are being accepted from the same date through 23:59 on November 20, 2026 ^[1]. This is a voluntary opinion-gathering process rather than one legally mandated under the Administrative Procedure Act, and the matter falls under the postal affairs category ^[1].

According to the official notice, the solicitation is being carried out in connection with deliberations at the Information and Communications Council ^[1]. The ministry has made related materials available, including guidance on how to submit opinions and a document outlining the specific scope of the comment request, both posted in PDF form ^[1]. These materials, along with background documents, can be viewed and obtained at the Postal Affairs Division of the ministry's Information and Communications Bureau, or through the ministry's website under its press releases section ^[1].

The notice does not specify what concrete proposals or draft rules are under consideration, stating only that there is no specific "ordinance" text attached and no cited legal basis for the measures at this stage ^[1]. Anyone wishing to submit an opinion is instructed to first review both the full submission guidelines and the full text of the proposal documents before responding, in order to avoid misdirected submissions ^[1].

For inquiries, the ministry has listed the Postal Affairs Division of the Information and Communications Bureau's Postal Administration Department as the contact point, reachable by phone at 03-5253-5975 ^[1].

The source material does not indicate who is eligible to submit comments, whether submissions must be in Japanese, or what format is required beyond consulting the official guidelines, so readers planning to respond should consult the linked official materials directly for those details ^[1]. Since this is a comment-gathering stage tied to council deliberations rather than a finalized policy, no decisions about postal service operations have been announced yet, and any eventual changes would depend on what the ministry and the council decide after reviewing the public input ^[1]. Foreign residents who rely on Japan's postal network for mail, parcels, or other services may wish to monitor this process, though the notice itself does not describe how postal operations might change or what specific stability concerns are being addressed ^[1].

Source credit 出典：「郵便事業の安定的・持続的な運営を確保するための方策に関する意見募集」（e-Govパブリックコメント）（https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/servlet/Public?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&id=145210786&Mode=0）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the e-Gov Public Comment did not write or review it.