The posts ministry on Friday approved a new postal insurance product being opposed by other countries' trade watchdogs and domestic private-sector insurers.
The decision will likely spark heated exchanges at a Japan-U.S. working-level meeting on insurance policy to be held Monday in Tokyo.
Japan Post -- a public corporation created in April to take over the Postal Services Agency's mail delivery, postal savings and "kampo" life-insurance services -- plans to launch the new product Jan. 1.