Postal rates are increasing from October 1st; postcards will be 85 yen, standard mail 110 yen, etc. In Takamatsu City, shipping costs will increase by several tens of millions of yen.
Postal rates for postcards and letters will increase starting October 1st. We covered people visiting post offices and municipalities that send a large volume of mail.
(Reporter’s report)
“This is Takamatsu Central Post Office. There’s a poster informing about the postal rate increase from tomorrow prominently displayed at the counter.”
To maintain a stable postal service, postal rates will increase starting October 1st.
The standard postcard will increase from 63 yen to 85 yen, and standard mail will merge two weight categories into “up to 50g,” changing from 84 yen and 94 yen to 110 yen.
At Takamatsu Central Post Office, some people were sending large volumes of mail and purchasing new postcards and stamps in preparation for the increase starting on the 1st.
(Customers said—)
“Since the postage is going up, I came to buy stamps to put on the letter pack. For the difference. It’s a common thing for me, so I wish it would decrease a little more.”
“I always like buying stamps and noticed they have gotten more expensive. I might become even less inclined to write.”
(Daigoro Oka, General Affairs Department, Takamatsu Central Post Office)
“We would like you to understand and cooperate that this increase is absolutely necessary to maintain the service.”
The General Affairs Section of Takamatsu City consolidates mail from about 100 departments daily to utilize a system called “intra-area special mail,” which reduces postal rates when sending bulk items to the same area.
In the fiscal year 2023, around 3.2 million pieces of mail were sent, costing approximately 250 million yen. This postal rate increase is expected to add several tens of millions of yen in costs.
(Masahiko Ogawa, Chief, General Affairs Division, Takamatsu City)
“It’s painful that costs will increase compared to before, but delivering information by mail is easier for residents to understand.”
Takamatsu City is planning efforts to reduce costs, including thorough utilization of discount systems.