Category Archives: Cooperatives

【News】 Agricultural cooperative union head criticizes panel’s agricultural reform proposal (May 15, 2014)

  Akira Banzai, head of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), expressed strong opposition on Wednesday, May 14, to a state panel’s proposal on reforming the organization, saying it is far from the actual situations of the organization or the intentions of its members. Banzai said that the proposal, which include breaking up of JA, restricting non-farmer members’ use of JA services, converting the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-Noh) in charge of marketing farm products into a corporation and giving freer hand to primary agricultural co-ops, does not reflect the JA group’s management principles and can lead the group to split up. He stressed that the JA … Continue reading

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【News】 Agricultural cooperatives face risk of breakup (May 15, 2014)

  A government panel proposed on Wednesday, May 14, measures to reform the nation’s agricultural cooperatives, including letting primary agricultural co-ops run their businesses with a freer hand instead of being supervised by the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), their umbrella body. The Council for Regulatory Reform also said the mutual aid and credit businesses of agricultural cooperatives, known as JA or “nokyo,” should be transferred to the Norinchukin Bank and the Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, and that non-farmer members’ use of nokyo businesses should be limited to a half of farmer members in terms of value. These measures are apparently aimed at splitting up JA’s businesses and … Continue reading

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【News】 Farmers and consumers ask government to maintain tariffs on key farm products (May 15, 2014)

  Farmers and consumer organizations jointly held a protest rally on Wednesday in Tokyo, calling for protection of tariffs on key farm products in the negotiations under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. Participants of the meeting, held at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Chiyoda Ward, adopted a resolution asking the government and lawmakers to keep the Diet resolutions which state the need to maintain the tariffs and also disclose information on the negotiations. After the meeting, they marched to Nagatacho where the Diet buildings are located. More than 3,000 people nationwide attended the meeting co-sponsored by eight organizations – the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), the National Chamber of … Continue reading

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【News】 Young farmers protest against TPP (May 14, 2014)

  The Japan Agricultural Cooperative group’s youth association members staged a sit-in on Tuesday, May 13, in front of the Lower House members’ office building in Tokyo, calling for protection of Japanese agricultural products. Prior to the ministerial meeting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks scheduled on May 19 and 20 in Singapore, 150 young farmers nationwide gathered and urged the government and Diet members to keep the Diet resolutions which stated that key farm products be exempt from tariff elimination.They put up signs saying they are strongly against Japan’s participation in the TPP talks and that Japan’s food, lives and agriculture should be protected from market liberalization under the … Continue reading

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【News】 Agricultural cooperative group to establish restaurant joint venture to promote sales of domestic pork and chicken (May 13, 2014)

  The National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-Noh) announced Monday, May 12, that it will establish a company with Saitama-based yakitori restaurant firm Hibiki Food Service Group to open 50 restaurants by 2019 to offer domestically-produced pork and chicken dishes. The new company, J-ACE Hibiki, will be the first business entity in the JA group to receive investment from a JA fund to promote farmers’ sales of processed farm products. It hopes to support the nation’s meat production industry by strengthening sales of domestically-produced pork and chicken. Both JA Zen-Noh and Hibiki say they can benefit from the joint venture, as JA Zen-Noh has a nationwide system which … Continue reading

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