World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 hrs ago
Japan Post employee dismissed after hiding 25 pieces of mail over nine years
A former Japan Post employee hid 25 pieces of mail over nearly nine years, from 2017 until July 2026.
The employee worked at the Toyama North and Toyama South post offices in Toyama, Japan.
The mail should have been delivered to recipients or returned to senders, but was hidden at the employee’s home and in vehicles.
A customer complaint in June led to an internal investigation, and Japan Post consulted police.
The company dismissed the employee on September 24.
In an internal interview, the employee said the work of checking where people lived was troublesome and they wanted to avoid being reprimanded.
Japan Post apologized and said it would strengthen compliance guidance; it is handling matters with senders according to their wishes.
A Japan Post employee was dismissed after hiding 25 pieces of mail over about nine years.
The mail was hidden at the employee’s home and in personal vehicles while the employee worked at two post offices in Toyama.
The reported period began in June 2017 and ended on July 3, 2026.
The case came to light after a customer contacted a post office in June 2026.
Japan Post’s Hokuriku branch consulted police and dismissed the employee on September 24, 2026.
- Who
- A former Japan Post employee in their 50s.
- What
- The employee hid 25 pieces of mail that should have been delivered or returned to senders.
- When
- From June 2017 until July 3, 2026; the employee was dismissed on September 24, 2026.
- Where
- Toyama Kita and Toyama Minami post offices in Toyama, Japan; mail was hidden at home and in personal vehicles.
- Why
- The employee said delivery-related residence checks were troublesome and they did not want to be reprimanded by supervisors.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A customer contacted a post office, prompting an internal investigation.
Japan Post’s Hokuriku branch consulted police.
The reported period of hiding mail ended.
Japan Post dismissed the employee.
Japan Post’s Hokuriku branch announced the case.
- Mail hidden
- 25 pieces
- Period
- June 2017 to July 3, 2026
- Work locations
- Toyama Kita and Toyama Minami post offices
- Discovery
- Customer contact on June 12, 2026
- Dismissal
- September 24, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
I did not want to be reprimanded
We apologize for damaging our customers’ trust. We will strengthen guidance to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.