The deadtree Asahi and Nikkei newspapers reported last month on Japan Post’s decision to import Italian-made electric motorcycles to deploy on their postal delivery routes. This follows a 2008 decision and announcement that the recently-established private company will test and then phase in electric, hybrid, and aftermarket-converted vehicles from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Fuji Heavy, and a Gifu prefecture venture firm for use in various parts of its postal process; that announcement two years ago left a blank in their long-term plans for replacing their fleet of last-mile-delivery two-wheel bikes. The selection of an Italian company was most likely because domestic firms wouldn’t be able to meet the 90,000-strong figure that replacing JP’s entire bike fleet would mean. The newspapers reported that JP will partner with French postal service La Poste for larger-scale purchase.

JP, however, say that there has been no such decision, and are in fact quite tight-lipped about the news.