Koizumi’s postal privatization reform was a failure. Compared to the privatization of the Japanese National Railways and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, its poor performance is clear. However, failures happen to everyone. We need the wisdom to learn from failures and move in a slightly better direction. The strength of the postal service lies in its “universal service” provided uniformly nationwide. The current government prioritizes maintaining post offices nationwide. Approximately 400 local governments currently entrust post offices with various administrative tasks. These outsourcing arrangements generate revenue. Universal service has potential.
A village office in Switzerland houses a school, businesses, and a cafe facing the plaza. The village staff, including the mayor, work part-time. The convenience store is open only in the morning. A village office in Switzerland serves multiple functions. The library is only open once a week. The village council meets in the multipurpose room, that nine council members gather to discuss issues. They’re making effective use of their facilities and generating the world’s highest income. If post offices in strategic locations across the country could become as diverse as Swiss town halls, they could become profitable facilities.
At Yukawa Station on the Tsugaru Line in Aomori Prefecture, the JR East and JP (Japan Post) logos are displayed side by side. This March, the neighboring post office relocated and opened in the station building, which had become unmanned due to declining user numbers. From here, we can take a slightly more imaginative leap. Unmanned stations have large tracts of unused land and buildings. The postmaster and stationmaster have the right to use these tracts as they please. However, JR East and JP require employees to work unpaid. Those with a business sense will likely come up with business ideas based on the combination of a large plot of land, a prime location in town, reliable traffic, and foot traffic. A large plot of land could be used to build a solar power generation facility, which would generate a steady profit. It would also be possible to build an automated plant factory and sell vegetables at the station. If we build more, we could transport goods between big cities by freight car. This facility could also be used to provide convenience to residents. A convenience store could be a tenant. A library could also be set up. It would also be possible to open a nursery school targeting dual-income families who use the commuter train. It would be great if we could make effective use of the post office and unmanned stations and make money from business.
