Effective March 9, 2023, the Postal Service™ is revising the Individual Country Listing for Japan in Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) to note an additional observation regarding labels on mail destined to Japan.
This revision is based on a formal request that Japan Post (the designated postal operator of Japan) made through the Universal Postal Union via International Bureau Circular 112, dated July 4, 2022, and through subsequent information received by email on November 24, 2022.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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Individual Country Listings
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Japan
Country Conditions for Mailing
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Observations
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[Add a fourth entry to read as follows:]
4. To improve the readability of postal labels in order to enhance customs clearance and the processing and delivery of mail destined to Japan, Japan Post requests that the mailer use labels made from non-thermal paper and recommends a font size of 10 points for the destination and sender’s addresses.
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Although effective March 9, 2023, the Postal Service will incorporate this revision into a later edition of the online IMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 3-9-23