Despite the tragic events as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the postal administration of Japan continues to accept all types of international mail. Note the exception of Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG®) items sent to certain destinations in Japan in the table in this article.
However, even with this acceptance, mailers are advised to expect delays in the delivery of all types of mail sent to Japan. Significant delays could be experienced for items addressed to northern Japan, including Sapporo, Sendai, Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, and Ibaraki.
For GXG items, effective immediately, the Postal Service™ has suspended GXG service to certain destinations in Japan due to FedEx operational requirements caused by the recent events in Japan. Until further notice, Post Office™ locations must not accept GXG items for the Japanese destinations listed in the following table.
For already deposited GXG items addressed to these destinations in Japan, Postal Service employees must endorse them “Mail Service Temporarily Suspended — Return to Sender” and then place them in the mailstream for return. Upon request, the Postal Service will refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service.
GXG Suspended Destination Cities and Postal Codes
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 3-24-11
