Category Archives: Cooperatives

“Gyunabe (sukiyaki) Meeting” constructed basis After enactment of sangyokumiai law, 5 years have passed. On February 22, 1905 (Meiji 38), officials and experts involved in sangyokumiai such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Finance were gathered in Western shop “Fujimiken” in Kojimachi Ward, Tokyo (now Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). The interrogation was made by Tosuke Hirata (before Minister of Agriculture　and Commerce)　and Tsuneaki Sako (Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce) . The subscription to the sangyokumiai (cooperatives) gradually increased. Aiming for guidance, encouragement, and further spread, Hirata felt strongly the need for a central authority of the cooperatives themselves, except for the … Continue reading →

Foster parent of 2 agriculture organization Hisayoshi Kano, Vice President of Dainihon Sangyokumiaichuokai (association of cooperatives of Japan), is said “foster parent” of two agricultural organization, nokai (chamber of agriculture) and sangyokumiai (cooperatives) in the late Meiji. Kano, after becoming a member of the House of Lords with the opening of Imperial Diet, served as a Kagoshima prefectural governor for 7 years since 1894 (Meiji 27).  During the period of Governor, he focused on the development of agricultural technology and “even spared time to do touring of towns and villages in the prefecture, and opened the lectures and workshops in order to achieve the agricultural improvement. He organized nokai (chamber … Continue reading →

First job, establishment of Zenkoren (national purchase and sales federation) Tosuke Hirata, President of sangyokumiaichuokai, was invited to the beds of Senate, Masayoshi Matsukata ( 1835 ～ 1924 ). Masayoshi Matsukata asked him and said, “Please become the Minister of Interior after me.” The minister of Interior was in a position to give an opinion to national affairs as the counselor of the Emperor of Japan. In the past, it was the role of the Senate. After death of Aritomo Yamagata ( 1838 ～ 1922 ), there had been only two Senates ,  Matsukata and Kinmochi Saionji ( 1849 ～ 1940 ). Saionji had deep relationship with the political world. … Continue reading →

Jockeying between the two Ministries Executives of the sangyokumiai early had felt the need for a central financial institution. In 1891 (Meiji 24), Tosuke Hirata also took up it in “Shinyokumiai (credit cooperatives) theory.” Hirata and Yajiro Shinagawa introduced the German central bank of cooperatives in “Shinyokumiai Teiyo (Essence of credit cooperatives) “, and claimed “Our country sooner or later needs it.” Hisayoshi Kano, vice president of Dainihon sangyokumiaichuokai, made a speech to demand the establishment of central financial institution at the second national congress of sangyokumiai in May 1903 (Meiji). Since then, the congress continued to resolve the demand of its establishment. Since 1921 (Taisho 9) when the recoil … Continue reading →

The statue of Gentaro Shimura(in the JA National Education Center of Machida city, Tokyo) According to investigation of sangyokumiaichuokai (general association of cooperatives) in 1925 (Taisho 14 ‘s), there were 12,500 Sangyokumiai (cooperatives) composed by 3,936,000 members. Only a few times of meetings and seminars a year were not enough for mobilizing this scale of human mind. Gentaro Shimura, president of sangyokumiaichuokai, thought that it was necessary to use the printed magazine in order to penetrate movement into nationwide members of sangyokumiai(cooperatives). At the time, there was already a monthly organization magazine, “sangyokumiai (cooperatives).” But Shimura had the image of magazine not only for members of sangyokumiai but also for … Continue reading →