Japan Post to Place Restrictions on Shipments to the US this Christmas

Americans in Japan who were thinking of mailing holiday presents to their family members in the States are going to have some trouble this year. Japan Post has enacted new restrictions that ban the mailing of packages that weigh over 453 grams (16 ounces / one pound):

The Japan Post Office announced on November 12 that starting on November 17, it would indefinitely stop accepting mail parcels to the United States weighing more than 453 grams. The Post Office has at this time given no indication of how long this suspension will last only saying that it is “for the time being.” This suspension includes all regular international airmail parcels, as well as EMS. The Japan Post Office (JPO) has cut Japan off from the US entirely, at least as far as airmail parcels over a pound in weight go. The reason the JPO gives for this action is that following attempts to send explosives through air cargo from Yemen to the US, American security measures for air cargo have become increasingly severe. America and Guam are included in this provision, raising the strong possibility that Christmas and year end parcels will not be able to be sent from Japan to the US, which is likely to cause massive confusion.

You can read the official announcement here (in Japanese).

Source: www.japanprobe.com