Category Archives: Cooperatives

【News】 Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives asks ruling party to maintain its audit function (Feb. 7, 2015)

  In a last-minute effort to reflect agricultural co-operatives’ opinions in the government’s agricultural reform plan, Akira Banzai, head of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) met ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers with close links to the farm sector on Friday, Feb. 6, to make a number of requests including keeping the union’s auditing system. Banzai asked LDP members to maintain JA-Zenchu’s audits and let primary JAs choose between the central union’s audits and those by certified public accountants. He also requested that JA-Zenchu and prefectural unions have the same kind of corporate capacity under the Agricultural Co-operative Society Law, and expressed opposition to restricting non-farmer members’ use of … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Restricting non-farmer members’ use of agricultural co-ops means destroying infrastructure in rural regions (Feb. 4, 2015)

  Restriction of non-farmer members’ use of agricultural co-operatives’ services has become one of the main concerns for the ongoing discussions on agricultural co-ops reform. Such restriction would weaken the overall ability of the Japan agricultural co-op group and threaten the basis of livelihood which farmers and local residents depend on. The government must keep in mind that destroying infrastructure in rural regions supported by JAs goes against its goal of revitalizing local areas. The deregulation action plan approved by the Cabinet in June last year states that the government will consider creating a rule concerning non-farmer members’ use of JAs’ services in comparison with farmer-members. JAs offer comprehensive package … Continue reading

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【News】 95 percent of agricultural co-ops deny central union hinders free management: survey (Jan. 29, 2015)

  As many as 95 percent of heads of primary agricultural co-operatives said they don’t think their freedom of management is hindered by the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), according to a survey conducted by The Japan Agricultural News on primary JA heads nationwide. In the agricultural co-ops reform, the government is trying to dismantle JA-Zenchu, giving as a reason that its control on primary JAs is preventing individual co-ops from operating freely. But the result of the survey shows that primary JAs have totally opposite views, and they are likely to strongly resist reform which ignores their opinions. The Japan Agricultural News sent a questionnaire via fax to … Continue reading

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【Interview】 Mountainous areas cannot survive without agricultural co-ops (Jan. 28, 2015)

  <As debate within the government and the ruling bloc heats up over reforming agricultural co-operatives, local governments which work together with JAs to revitalize the farm sector and their regions are concerned about how the reform would affect them. Following is an interview with Masahiro Nakahira, mayor of Shimanto in Kochi Prefecture.> People and farmers in Japan’s mountainous areas cannot imagine life without JAs’ services. Private companies expand business in regions with huge population which would generate profits, but in less populated areas, JAs have been and will be the only entities which can offer services. And we should not forget the fact that the agricultural sector has a … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Strengthening JAs’ management based on self-reform (Jan. 27, 2015)

  The focus of the government’s agricultural co-operative reform has been on revising the auditing system of primary agricultural co-ops by the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu). If the goal of revising the system is to strengthen management of primary JAs, the JA group has already come up with a solution. In its self-reform plan compiled in November last year, the group listed measures to enhance governance and management under JA-Zenchu’s auditing. The government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party must discuss reform carefully, taking into consideration the JA group’s self-reform plan and farmers’ voices. Regarding primary JAs’ board of directors, the government’s action plan on deregulation released in … Continue reading

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