Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications

Until December 2000, this was the national government agency in charge of the national postal service and general administrative affairs related to telecommunications. Its responsibilities, powers, and organization were stipulated in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Establishment Act (Act No. 244 of 1948). In 1949, the former Ministry of Communications was dissolved and split into the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Telecommunications. In 1952, the Ministry of Telecommunications was abolished and most of its duties were transferred to the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, and radio wave management administration, including supervision of the public corporation, came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. In 1985, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation became the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), and in July 1999, it was split into Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West, NTT Communications, and the holding company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. Meanwhile, as part of the reorganization of central government ministries and agencies in January 2001, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications was reorganized with the Management and Coordination Agency and the Ministry of Home Affairs to become the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Of the duties previously performed by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the postal business was taken over by the Postal Planning and Management Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which is responsible for planning and management, and the Postal Services Agency, an external bureau, while information and communications administration was taken over by the Information and Communications Policy Bureau and the Telecommunications Bureau within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. On April 1, 2003, the Postal Services Agency was taken over by the newly established nationalized Japan Post, and with this, the Postal Planning and Management Bureau, an internal bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, was reorganized to become the Postal Administration Bureau, responsible for planning and drafting systems related to the postal business. Subsequently, with the privatization of the postal service, Japan Post was privatized and spun into the Japan Post Group in 2007 (Heisei 19), consisting of the holding company Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd. and four operating companies Japan Post Network Co., Ltd. (Post Office), Japan Post Service Co., Ltd. (Japan Post), Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd., and Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd. (Japan Post Insurance), and the postal business was taken over by these companies.

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications was responsible for the national services of postal services, postal savings services, postal money orders and postal transfer services, postal life insurance services, and postal pension services, as well as telecommunications-related affairs, as well as other services incidental to the above, as well as services entrusted to it by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, National Life Finance Corporation (formerly the National Finance Corporation) and the Okinawa Development Finance Corporation, services relating to the handling of telegrams entrusted to it by Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co., Ltd. as stipulated in Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Supplementary Provisions of the Telecommunications Business Act (Act No. 86 of 1984), services relating to the sale of revenue stamps, the payment of pensions and annuities, and other services relating to the receipt and payment of national treasury funds.

In addition to the Minister's Secretariat, the internal bureaus included the Post Bureau, the Savings Bureau, the Postal Insurance Bureau, the Communications Policy Bureau, the Telecommunications Bureau, and the Broadcasting Administration Bureau. Councils and facilities included the Postal Affairs Council, the Postal Life Insurance Examination Board, the Telecommunications Council, the Radio Regulatory Council, the Telecommunications Technology Council, the Postal Research Institute, hospitals, clinics, staff training institutes, and the Communications Research Institute. The regional branch bureaus included the Regional Postal Inspection Bureau, Regional Post Offices, Regional Telecommunications Administration Bureau, Okinawa Postal Management Office, and post offices.

[Kazukazu Hirata]

Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, ed. "Postal Centennial History Materials," 30 volumes (1968-71, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

2000年（平成12）12月まで、国の郵政事業と一般行政事務である電気通信に関する事務を担当していた国の行政機関。その所掌事務および権限、組織は、郵政省設置法（昭和23年法律第244号）に定められていた。1949年（昭和24）、従来の逓信(ていしん)省が解体され、郵政省と、電気通信省に二分された。その後52年に電気通信省は廃止され、その業務の多くが日本電信電話公社に移管され、同公社の監督も含め、電波管理行政は郵政省の所管となった。なお、日本電信電話公社は、1985年に日本電信電話株式会社＝NTTとなり、99年7月東日本電信電話、西日本電信電話、NTTコミュニケーションズおよび持株会社の日本電信電話に分割された。一方、郵政省は、2001年（平成13）1月の中央省庁再編に伴い、総務庁、自治省とともに再編統合され、総務省となった。

　郵政省で行っていた事務のうち、郵政事業については、企画立案と管理を所掌する総務省内の郵政企画管理局と、外局の郵政事業庁にそのまま引き継がれ、また、情報通信行政については、総務省内の情報通信政策局と総合通信基盤局に引き継がれた。郵政事業庁は、2003年（平成15）4月1日、新たに発足した国営の日本郵政公社に引き継がれ、それに伴い総務省内部部局の郵政企画管理局が組織改正され、郵政事業に関する制度の企画および立案等を所掌事務とする郵政行政局となった。その後、日本郵政公社は、郵政民営化により、2007年（平成19）日本郵政グループへと民営化、分社化され、持株会社「日本郵政株式会社」と、四つの事業会社「郵便局株式会社（郵便局）」「郵便事業株式会社（日本郵便）」「株式会社ゆうちょ銀行」「株式会社かんぽ生命保険（かんぽ生命）」となり、郵政事業はこれら各社に引き継がれた。

　郵政省の業務は、国の事業である郵便事業、郵便貯金事業、郵便為替(かわせ)事業および郵便振替事業、簡易生命保険事業および郵便年金事業、電気通信に関する事務であり、また、以上の事業に付帯する業務、さらに、東日本電信電話株式会社、西日本電信電話株式会社、日本放送協会、国民生活金融公庫（旧国民金融公庫）または沖縄振興開発金融公庫から委託された業務、電気通信事業法（昭和59年法律第86号）附則第5条第1項に規定する国際電信電話株式会社から委託された電報の取扱いに関する業務、印紙の売りさばきに関する業務、年金および恩給の支給その他国庫金の受入れ払渡しに関する業務、などを行っていた。

　内部部局として、大臣官房のほか、郵務局、貯金局、簡易保険局、通信政策局、電気通信局、放送行政局が置かれ、審議会等および施設等機関に、郵政審議会、簡易生命保険審査会、電気通信審議会、電波管理審議会、電気通信技術審議会、郵政研究所、病院、診療所、職員訓練所、通信総合研究所が、地方支分部局として、地方郵政監察局、地方郵政局、地方電気通信管理局、沖縄郵政管理事務局、郵便局があった。

［平田和一］

『郵政省編『郵政百年史資料』全30巻（1968～71・吉川弘文館）』

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