Agriculture minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told the Lower House agriculture committee Thursday, May 21, that the government’s farm co-ops reform will make the co-ops correspond more to the co-operative principles including autonomy and democracy. He brushed aside the International Co-operative Alliance’s claims made last year that the reform infringes on the principles. However, opposition parties criticized the government’s way of interpreting the reform to their own advantage. In October, the ICA, a nonprofit organization comprising 300 co-operative associations in 100 countries, issued a statement strongly condemning the Japanese government’s move to dismantle the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu). The statement said the contemplated legislative changes “obviously violate” some of … Continue reading →

  As the Lower House agriculture committee began deliberating a bill submitted by the government to revise the Agricultural Co-operative Society Law on Thursday, May 21, farm minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed reluctance to stating in the new law that agricultural co-ops are the main entity in local economies. His remark is likely to draw controversy, as it contradicts with the government’s previous stance which recognized the significance of farm co-ops in regional economy. The government said in its basic view on agricultural co-ops released in 2010 that the co-ops play an influential role in reinvigorating local economies and should be positioned as the major player in the regions. The view, shared by … Continue reading →