TOKYO, Jan. 27 – Eight organizations related to the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) group were ranked among the top 300 cooperatives and mutuals in the world based on turnover for 2018 in dollar terms, according to the 2020 issue of the World Cooperative Monitor report released by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).
Newly included in the top 300 in the latest annual survey, the ninth of the kind, were JA Keizairen – prefectural economic federation of agricultural cooperatives – in three prefectures. Kagoshima came 133th, Aichi 154th and Miyazaki 193th.
National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Kyosairen) was placed fourth, followed by National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) which came fifth, the Central Cooperative Bank for Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (The Norinchukin Bank) which came 29th, Hokuren Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives which ranked 35th and Kyoei Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. which came 255th.
The number of Japanese organizations ranked in the survey increased as the ICA, as well as the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises which supports the initiative, expanded the coverage of their database.
Out of the top 300 organizations, 166 are based in Europe, followed by 88 in South and North America. Among the 46 entities in the Asia-Pacific included in the list, 24 were Japanese organizations including mutual insurance companies.
The total turnover of the 300 cooperatives amounted to $2.1458 trillion. The Credit Agricole Group of France which offers banking services was ranked top, remaining unchanged from the previous year.