Category Archives: Cooperatives

Medical cooperatives aiming for rescuing farmers “I have a consultation. Please come. Kagawa.” Taiichi Kurokawa(1908-1985), later managing director of National Mutual Insurance Federation of Nogyokyodokumiai (agricultural cooperatives), received this telegram on 9 January 1931. “Kagawa” written in the telegram was Toyohiko Kagawa (1888-1960), indispensable person for talking about cooperatives movement and cooperatives insurance business in Japan. The next day Kurokawa rushed to Kagawa, who lived in Tokyo for the rescue in the Great Kanto Earthquake. Yoshimichi Kodachi (1899 – 1979), who had worked on Kobe consumption cooperatives (current Consumers Co-operative Kobe) under the Kagawa, also visited Kagawa. Kagawa said, “I decided to establish medical cooperatives. Do it together with Kodachi.” … Continue reading →

 Preparing establishment of the National Health Insurance Association When Toyohiko Kagawa established Tokyo medical utilization cooperatives, he had habit of saying, “Medical cooperatives movement is preparation exercise for making the National Health Insurance (NHI) Association.” At that time, Ministry of Interior was studying the legislation of the National Health Insurance. At last, in July 1934, “National Health Insurance Bill (draft)” was announced. Kagawa had already published a paper entitled “National Health insurance and medical insurance” in magazine “Medical cooperatives movement” November 1932 issue. In it he claimed, “In order to extinct the poverty of our country and remove the life anxiety, implementing the health insurance for the public masses is … Continue reading →

Toyohiko Kagawa serialized in “Ienohikari (Light of home)” His novel complained cooperatives insurance by credit cooperatives Toyohiko Kagawa wrote a society faction novel in which he themed the cooperatives. It was “The Land of Milk and Honey” that Kagawa serialized in Monthly magazine “Ienohikari (Light of home)” for two years since January 1934. This became a big reputation so that publication number of copies of the magazine reached 1 million copies. The stage of the novel was poor village of Aizu area of Fukushima prefecture. Facing rural lives difficult due to cold weather damage, main character, Tosuke Tanaka, went out to the capital. Soon he took pneumonia and entered to … Continue reading →

Preparation of company acquisitions in top secret In September 1939, one person with knowledge of the insurance industry came to visit Toyohiko Kagawa, who was claiming start of cooperatives insurance. The person informed Kagawa that Tsuneo Kanemitsu, Colonial Affairs minister and member of the House of Lords, could put for sale his managing New Nippon Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. Kagawa had been wished insurance company keenly. The person said, “Would you buy it?” Kagawa immediately reported this story to vice president Kotaro Sengoku and managing director Michinosuke Hamada at sangyokumiaichuokai (general association of cooperatives). He also reported this story to president Yoriyasu Arima. Thinking “opportunity coming,” leaders of … Continue reading →

Failure of companies’ acquisition plan Statement of new concept toward the realization Insurance companies acquisition plan was deadlocked. On 19 February 1940, Yoriyasu Arima, president of sangyokumiaichuokai (general association of cooperatives), met with Agriculture Minister Toshio Shimada to explain post-acquisition management plan, funding method, and the reason and circumstances led to the decision to embark on the insurance management. On 14 February, Tokyo Asahi Shimbun published an editorial as follows; ”We agree with expanding activity form of sangyokumiai (cooperatives)  to insurance cooperatives. However, current legislation does not allow this. Why doesn’t the official of sangyokumiai (cooperatives) mobilize the political power of 7 million cooperatives members, in order to acquire the … Continue reading →