Fisheries Cooperative Association - Gyogyokyoudou Kumiai

A cooperative formed by small and medium-sized fishermen who mainly engage in offshore fishing, and small-scale fishermen who mainly engage in coastal and inland fishing, in order to improve their economic and social status. Its abbreviation is Gyokyo, and its English name is also called JF, which stands for Japan Fisheries Cooperatives. The Fisheries Industry Cooperative Law (Law No. 242, 1948) specifies in detail the method of establishment, membership qualifications, business, and management of the cooperative. There are two types of fishery cooperatives: district fishery cooperatives (district fishery cooperatives) made up of fishermen who live in the same coastal or inland water area, and industry-specific fishery cooperatives (industry-specific fishery cooperatives) made up of fishermen who engage in the same fishery. In 1980, there were about 3,000 of the former and about 300 of the latter organized nationwide. In 1998, there were approximately 1,870 regional fisheries cooperatives across the country, of which coastal regional fisheries cooperatives were the most representative, and approximately 200 industry-specific fisheries cooperatives. However, since then, the number of regional fisheries cooperatives has declined significantly due to mergers and consolidations.

In order to improve the economic and social status of its members, fisheries cooperatives carry out a variety of projects, including the following:

(1) Credit business: A business that accepts members' savings and lends them money. Fishermen generally have little self-funding and are forced to rely heavily on borrowing to purchase materials necessary for fishing management and to install fishing boats and fishing nets, but fishery cooperatives meet these capital needs. The funds necessary for these loans are supplied by specialized financial institutions for agriculture, forestry and fisheries, such as the Norinchukin Bank and the Japan Finance Corporation (agriculture, forestry and fisheries business; succeeded the business of the former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Finance Corporation), through the Credit Fishery Cooperative Associations (Shingyoren) established in each prefecture. This type of financial system is called cooperative-based finance, and since the 1950s, it has been significantly improved, allowing fishermen to escape the old situation in which they had to borrow high-interest loans from merchants and private lenders, putting pressure on their management. However, since 1977, with the advent of the 200-mile fishing zone era, there have been a series of bankruptcies in the fishing industry, and the trend towards deregulation since the late 1990s has ushered in an era of financial liberalization, exposing the fragility of the fisheries cooperative credit business base. Since the 2000s, the fisheries cooperative credit business has been undergoing restructuring and strengthening through mergers of fisheries cooperatives and business integration into the Fisheries Federation.

(2) Purchasing Business This is a business that purchases fishing materials and daily necessities required by members in bulk and supplies them to members. In particular, for fishing fuel oil and seaweed farming materials, a so-called system of purchasing is progressing, in which products handled by the upper-level organizations, the Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (Gyoren) and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (Zengyoren), are supplied to members. However, other supplies are often purchased by members from general stores, and purchasing businesses remain at a relatively low level compared to agricultural cooperatives and other organizations. Fisheries cooperative purchasing businesses also play an important role in the development and popularization of harmless detergents to prevent pollution of fishing grounds and in the movement to ban synthetic detergents.

(3) Sales business: A business that collects and jointly sells the catches and processed products of the members. Fresh fish and shellfish are generally sold to buyers by auction, bidding, or bilateral negotiations at the local wholesale market (fishing port market) established by the fishery cooperative and conducting wholesale business. Processed products such as nori (seaweed), wakame (seaweed), and kombu (kelp) are increasingly being sold by the fishery cooperative to higher-level organizations, which then sell them in bulk. The purpose of the sales business is to maintain stable prices for the members' products, so measures such as adjusting the landing of fish at the local wholesale market, freezing and storing it, or maintaining the price of fish through processing are also considered. Since the late 1980s, sales business activities have been diversifying, with direct sales tie-ups (inter-cooperative tie-ups) with consumer cooperatives, retail trade associations, and agricultural cooperative purchasing businesses, as well as direct sales (direct sales) using small-scale cold distribution technology and the Internet.

In addition to the above-mentioned businesses, the association also carries out a wide range of other businesses, including mutual aid businesses, self-operated fishing operations directly managed by the fisheries association, freezing, processing and ice-making businesses, businesses that allow members to use association facilities such as refrigerators, boat landings and fishing gear warehouses, businesses that aim to conserve the fishing grounds and protect and increase resources, businesses that provide guidance on management and technology improvements and lifestyle improvements, welfare businesses, and the provision of information on recreational fishing guide businesses, as well as leisure and tourist fishing.

Regional fisheries cooperatives do not simply carry out business, but also play a unique role in managing and utilizing coastal and inland fishing grounds as organizations that enjoy and manage fishing rights under the Fisheries Law, which is what sets them apart from other cooperatives. Therefore, it can be said that the democratic management of fisheries cooperatives holds the key to ensuring fair and appropriate management and utilization of fishing grounds while also implementing economic business.

[Akira Nakai and Katsuji Hiroyoshi]

"Explanation of the Fisheries Law and Fisheries Cooperative Law (10th edition)" by Heiji Hirabayashi and Yukio Hamamoto (1995, Fisheries Cooperative Management Center Publishing Division)" "Norinchukin Research Institute, ed., "Cooperatives in the Era of New Principles" (1996, Ie no Hikari Kyokai)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

沖合漁業を主とする中・小漁業者、沿岸・内水面漁業を主とする零細漁家などが、経済的・社会的地位を向上させるために組織している協同組合。略称漁協、英語名称のJapan Fisheries Cooperativesの頭文字をとり、JFともいう。水産業協同組合法（昭和23年法律第242号）によって、設立方法、組合員資格、業務、組合の運営方法等が詳細に規定されている。漁業協同組合（漁協）には、沿海地区や内水面の同一地区に居住する漁業者によって構成されている地区漁業協同組合（地区漁協）と、同一漁業を営む漁業者によって構成されている業種別漁業協同組合（業種別漁協）とがある。1980年（昭和55）には全国で前者が約3000、後者が約300組織されていた。1998年（平成10）には、地区漁協は沿海地区漁協を代表的なものとして全国に約1870、業種別漁協が約200組織されていたが、その後合併や統合などにより地区漁協数の減少が顕著である。

　漁協は組合員の経済的・社会的地位の向上を図るために、次のような各種の事業を実施している。

(1)信用事業　組合員の貯金受入や資金の貸付を行う事業。漁業経営に必要な資材の購入、ならびに漁船・漁網などを設備するにあたって、漁業者は一般的に自己資金が乏しいので借入金に多くを依存せざるをえない状態にあるが、漁協はこれらの資金需要をまかなっている。この貸付に必要な原資は、農林漁業に対する専門的金融機関である農林中央金庫や日本政策金融公庫（農林水産事業。旧、農林漁業金融公庫の事業を承継）などから、都道府県ごとに設立されている信用漁業協同組合連合会（信漁連）を経て供給される。このような金融体制を組合系統金融と称するが、1950年代以降この体制が著しく整備されたことにより、漁業者が商人や個人金融業者などの高金利資金を借入し、経営が圧迫されるような旧来の状態を脱却するに至った。しかし、1977年（昭和52）以降は、200海里漁業水域時代に入って漁業の経営破綻(はたん)問題が続発し、また、1990年代後半からの規制緩和の流れのなかで金融の自由化時代を迎えて漁協信用事業基盤の脆弱(ぜいじゃく)性が顕在化しつつある。2000年代以降、漁協信用事業は漁協合併や信漁連への事業統合によって事業基盤の再編強化が図られている状況にある。

(2)購買事業　組合員が必要とする漁業用資材や生活用品などを一括購入し、組合員へ供給する事業。とくに漁業用燃油やノリ養殖資材などについては、上部系統団体である都道府県漁業協同組合連合会（漁連）、全国漁業協同組合連合会（全漁連）の取扱い品を組合員に供給するいわゆる系統購買が進んでいる。しかし、その他の物資は組合員が一般の商店より購入する場合が多く、購買事業は農協などに比べ比較的低調な水準にとどまっている。なお、漁場汚染を防止するための無害洗剤の開発と普及および合成洗剤追放運動において漁協購買事業は重要な役割を果たしている。

(3)販売事業　組合員の漁獲物や加工品を一括集荷して共同販売する事業。生鮮魚貝類は、漁協が開設し卸売業務を行う産地卸売市場（漁港市場）において、せり、入札、相対(あいたい)などの方法で買受人に販売されるのが一般的である。ノリ、ワカメ、コンブなどの加工品は、漁協が上部系統団体に出荷し、上部団体が一括販売する系統共販が進んでいる。販売事業は、組合員の生産物の安定価格を維持することが目的であるから、地元の産地卸売市場で水揚げの調整や冷凍保管、あるいは加工による魚価維持などの対策を講ずることも考慮されている。また1980年代後半以降、生活協同組合、小売商組合、農協購買事業などとの産直提携（協同組合間提携）、ならびに小規模低温流通技術やインターネットを活用した直販（直接販売）なども行われ販売事業活動は多様化しつつある。

　以上の事業のほか、共済事業、漁協が直接漁業経営する漁業自営、冷凍・加工・製氷事業、冷蔵庫・船揚場・漁具倉庫などの組合施設を組合員に利用させる利用事業、漁場の環境保全や資源の保護増殖を図る事業、経営・技術の改良、生活改善などを指導する事業、福利厚生事業、遊漁案内業の斡旋(あっせん)やレジャー・観光漁業など多岐にわたる事業を実施している。

　なお、地区漁協の場合は単に事業を行うだけでなく、漁業法に基づき漁業権の享有・管理団体として沿岸や内水面における漁場を管理・利用するという独自の役割を兼ね備えているところにほかの協同組合とは異る特徴がある。したがって、経済事業の実施とあわせて公平・適切な漁場の管理と利用が行われるためには、漁業協同組合の民主的運営がその鍵(かぎ)を握っているといえよう。

［中井　昭・廣吉勝治］

『平林平治・浜本幸生著『水協法・漁業法の解説（10訂版）』（1995・漁協経営センター出版部）』▽『農林中金総合研究所編『新原則時代の協同組合』（1996・家の光協会）』

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