Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's top policy panel unveiled plans Friday to split Japan's mammoth postal operations into four separate entities by 2017 at the latest.
The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy said it will seek to create a holding company to oversee earnings and branch placements for the four businesses: mail delivery, postal savings, "kampo" insurance and over-the-counter services.
The council also agreed to strip Japan Post employees of their civil servant status at an unspecified time, according to a 10-point guideline penned jointly by Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka and posts minister Taro Aso.