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 →

Contributed to the welfare of farmers In 1900 (Meiji 33), when sangyokumiai (cooperatives) law was established, a young man was walking 80km of the way beyond the Chugoku Mountains from Iwami region of western edge of Shimane Prefecture. He was heading to the Hatsukaichishi station of Sanyo line (Hiroshima prefecture), for getting admission to the Kyoto municipal agricultural school (now Kyoto Prefectural University). Name of the man, who was getting on train for Kyoto which he saw for the first time, was Masayo Oba ( = 1882 ～ 1939 ). He was the man who worked on the medical business of Sangyokumiai (cooperatives) later. After graduation, Oba became the assistant … Continue reading →

On July 22, 1931 (Showa 6), in Nichiharacho (now Tsuwano-cho) of Kanoashigun (Kanoashi county) of Shimane Prefecture, Kyozon hospital (co-existence hospital) of Sekisei riyokumiai (Sekisei utilization cooperatives) limited liability cooperatives was opened, servicing only medical business.10 persons including Masayo Oba were appointed to board members and 3 persons were appointed to auditors.  The hospital’s name of “kyozon (co-existence)” was adopted from the words “kyozon kyoei (co-existence and co-prosperity)”, the philosophy of the modern cooperatives. The hospital had 2 buildings of 2 stories (Total floor area 937 square meters). Medical subjects　were internal, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. 3 doctors worked. Pharmacy and X-ray laboratory were equipped. 16 nurses worked. The doctor … Continue reading →