Outline of the Workers Co-operative Act in Japan - Líneas generales de la Ley de cooperativas de trabajadores en Japón

Abstract

The Japanese co-operative legislation is characterized by the separate laws that are specializing to regulate the particular categories of co-operatives and enacted in line with the industrial policies, and the strong government’s control on incorporation and business activities. The Industrial Co-operative Act of 1900 was a uniform law following the German model and provided for the legal framework of credit, supply, marketing and production2 co-operatives. After the Second World War, the allied force introduced the radical land reform as a part of economic democratization programs and helped to enact the Agricultural Co-operative Act in 1947 to cement the effects of reform through organizing farmers in agricultural co-operatives. Then, the other co-operative laws were enacted in line with industrial policies (fishery, forestry, banking, SMEs etc.) during 1948-1978.