Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry hesitated the authorization
President refused limitation of business
The building that Zenkyoren office was placed, located in Ginza, Tokyo (both from “Five decades history of JA insurance”)
On 27 November 1950, Establishment General Assembly for National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Zenkyoren) was held at the hall of House of Councilors. Gathered representatives of 41 prefectures decided articles of incorporation and business plans. Bunshiro Okamura (1890 – 1968), president of Prefectural Credit Federation of Hokkaido of Agricultural Cooperatives (Shinren Hokkaido), was appointed the first president.
Ryozo Nakamura, president of Kyosairen Hokkaido (Prefectural Mutual Insurance Federation of Hokkaido of Agricultural Cooperatives), was appointed senior managing director. Shigeyoshi Okuno, associate director of Kyosairen Hokkaido, was appointed associate director. Main post was relied on staff of Kyosairen Hokkaido.
Koji Miyagi, president of The Kyoei Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd., stood in greeting.
“Kyoei Fire is the company established by sangyokumiai (cooperatives) in order to establish cooperatives insurance business in Japan. Our company can’t become cooperatives legally, but we have never forgotten the cooperative spirit. I’m so glad to see the purpose of Kyoei fire is reached by establishment of Zenkyoren. ”
Bunshiro Okamura, the first president of Zenkyoren (National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives) (both from “Five decades history of JA insurance”)
In February of the next year, Zenkyoren submitted application of approval to the Agriculture Minister. At the Establishment General Assembly, agricultural cooperatives director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry made a speech of encouragement, but it was only personal politeness. Insides the ministry, Zenkyoren had not been understood enough. The ministry had hesitated on approval, and time had gone vainly. After two months from application, the approval should have been decided to go into effect automatically. But Zenkyoren staff thought, “We can’t let Zenkyoren with great prospect go disgraceful departure such as automatic approval. ”
One day that automatic approval deadline was approaching, agricultural policy director Iwao Fujita informed staff that the application was approved. Executives including Okamura went to the ministry. Received the directives of the ministry from Fujita, Okamura gradually clouded the face, and the next moment his face turned pale. The annex paper was attached to the directives. The annex described, “Nokyo-kyosai (agricultural cooperatives mutual insurance) is allowed in the case of the target limiting to only buildings.”
Okamura said with trembling lips. “What is this?” In response, Fujita calmly answered, “It’s the basic policy about the contents of the kyosai (mutual insurance) business.” This moment Okamura’s pale face turned bright red. It seemed as if the annex paper had denied kyosai (mutual insurance) business by Zenkyoren. If he received the annex paper, Zenkyoren would become only insubstantial phantom.
Thinking so, Okamura received the directives only, returned the annex paper to Fujita, and said, “I can’t receive this.” He left the room. Later Taiichi Kurokawa and colleagues, who heard the contents of the annex paper from Okamura, praised the actions of the Okamura and said, “You are right. I greatly appreciate your refusal.”
In January 1951, Kurokawa and colleagues looked for the office room. There was Kikumasa building, which Zenshiren (national guidance federation of agricultural cooperatives) and Zenkoren (national purchase and sales federation of agricultural cooperatives) had been using, was located at Nishiginza, Tokyo. He thought that it was appropriate for also Zenkyoren to set up the office here but there was no spare room. Only storeroom in the mezzanine floor was vacant. Then cleaning dust of ceiling and setting desk, they started to use the storeroom. They moved the materials and documents into the basement and set the wood-burning stove brought from Hokkaido. Staff was consisted of four persons, such as one staff and general affairs director Haruo Tamiya seconded from Kyosairen Hokkaido, business director Kurokawa, and one staff seconded from Kyoei Fire.
In July, the first ordinary general assembly was held and some of directors were changed. President Okamura remained, Yamanaka of Kyosairen Hokkaido and Satoshi Takizawa, senior managing directors of prefectural education guidance federation of Nagano of agricultural cooperatives, were appointed to vice presidents. Yoshinori Yamanaka, president of subsidiary of Zenhanren (national marketing federation of agricultural cooperatives), was appointed to senior managing director. Toyohiko Kagawa became adviser and visited nationwide nokyo in preaching the importance of kyosai (mutual insurance) business.
The immediate challenges of Zenkyoren were to rapidly expand nationwide nokyo-kyosai (agricultural cooperatives mutual insurance), and to defense activity against nogyo-kyosai (agricultural insurance) organization and commercial insurance industry.
Initially, prefectural mutual insurance federations of agricultural cooperatives were established in only three prefecture such as Hokkaido, Kanagawa, and Nagano. In Kagoshima prefecture and Oita prefecture, prefectural marketing federations had been executing also kyosai (mutual insurance) business. So, they poured the power for the expansion of the executing prefectures.
It was difficult to suddenly establish the prefectural mutual insurance federation. First, they started by installing the prefectural office of Zenkyoren. Nationwide area was divided into five blocks, and they thoroughly encouraged the most promising prefectures. If some prefecture carried out the business, such start would also promote the neighboring prefecture. They planned so. For each block the meeting was held. Yamanaka and Kurokawa attended all meetings.
Regarding hopeful prefectures, they visited again and again. As a result, in some of prefectures, kyosai (mutual insurance) business was carried out. However, some presidents of nokyo had doubted thinking, “Is nokyo becoming the insurance shop?” In difficult prefectures, carrying out had to be given up due to the situations that staff of nogyo-kyosai (agricultural insurance) organization and staff of nokyo (agricultural cooperatives) were intricate. While repeating trial and error, however, gradually it began to spread to the other local area.
Reference = National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives ed. “Five decades history of JA insurance”, “Evolution History of Agricultural Cooperatives Mutual Insurance”, “Record of JA insurance of founding period Now looking back to the origin”, “Ten years anniversary of Agricultural Cooperatives Insurance” the Federation, Noriaki Niwata & Hitoshi Hirata “History and Reality of Cooperatives insurance” Cooperatives insurance Study Group, Taiichi Kurokawa “A path in the desert, 50 years of medical care and mutual insurance movement,” Ienohikarikyokai