Japan Post Holdings Co. and Yamato Holdings Co. said Monday they will collaborate in the direct mail and small package businesses to deal with logistics shortages and increase their operations' efficiency.

Yamato will commission its mailbox delivery services for catalogs, brochures and small packages to Japan Post by March 2025, the two companies said.

The collaboration is aimed at preparing for a shortage of truck drivers expected to intensify in 2024 when regulations on their overtime will be tightened, they said.

The two firms said they could use their resources more effectively through the tie-up to cope with the growing demand in e-commerce. They will consider further collaboration in the future, they said.

Japan Post Holdings President Hiroya Masuda said at a press conference in Tokyo that the tie-up aims to reduce the logistics industry's environmental impact and address driver shortages.

Yamato Holdings President Yutaka Nagao told the same press conference, "We are now at the starting line of collaboration to better utilize both companies' resources and realize sustainable logistics."

==Kyodo

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