Japan Post will begin offering an improved international express mail service next month featuring enhanced user-friendliness and lower stamp costs, the public corporation said Friday.
EMS Asia and EMS World will start Feb. 2 in Tokyo's 23 wards, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto on a trial basis. If the new service proves popular, it may be expanded nationwide, Japan Post said.
The service offers mail delivery for 1,000 yen per item to Asia and 1,500 yen for other foreign destinations, regardless of weight. In the existing EMS service, charges vary and senders have to make complicated calculations to figure out the charge.
In addition, users do not have to put stamps on packages in the new service, as it uses special envelopes, priced 1,000 yen for EMS Asia and 1,500 yen for EMS World, that can contain up to 50 A4-size (31 × 21 cm) sheets.
Users just have to purchase the envelope, place their mail in it and drop it into a mailbox anytime, Japan Post said. At present, EMS delivery can be accepted only at post offices.
They can also track delivery information on the Internet at the Japan Post Web site.
The postal entity holds a roughly 30 percent share in Japan's market for speedy mail delivery overseas, handling 9.12 million such items in the year to last March 31.
But foreign courier companies have been stepping up efforts to boost their Japanese operations in recent years.