Consumers' Cooperative - Seikatsukiyoudokumiai

Japanese: 生活協同組合 - せいかつきょうどうくみあい

Officially, it is called a consumer cooperative, or abbreviated as co-op. It is a cooperative formed by working people, who are the main investors, in order to procure various consumer goods and services at low prices. It inherited the consumer cooperatives from before World War II, and based on the Consumer Cooperative Law (1948), it conducts purchasing business, use of cooperative facilities, lifestyle and culture business, mutual aid business, education business, etc. It is organized on the basis of the region or workplace, and has set up a store, or has no store and mainly operates with group-based group purchasing. As of the end of March 1997, the number of members of the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union (JCCU) reached 19.7 million households, and the total business amount reached approximately 3.381 trillion yen. Although the number of members is increasing, the amount of usage per member is steadily decreasing. In recent years, consumer cooperatives have been moving towards establishing new networks through business alliances in order to meet the diverse needs of consumers. Co-ops have also been established with the aim of engaging in environmental conservation activities, such as recycling waste paper and used cooking oil, and providing welfare services such as caring for the elderly.
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Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

正式には消費生活協同組合，略して生協，あるいはco-op（コープ）ともいう。勤労者を主体に消費者が各種消費財やサービスの廉価な調達のために自ら出資者となり組織する協同組合。第２次大戦前からの消費組合を受け継ぎ，消費生活協同組合法（1948年）に基づいて，購買事業，協同施設の利用，生活文化事業，共済事業，教育事業等を行う。地域や職場を単位として組織し，店舗を構え，あるいは無店舗で班を中心にしての共同購入を主体に活動してきた。日本生活協同組合連合会（日生協）の1997年３月末現在の組合員数は1970万世帯，総事業高は約３兆3810億円に達した。組合員の数は増加しているが，組合員１人当りの利用高は減少の一途をたどっている。近年生協は，消費者の多様なニーズに応えられるよう，新たに事業連合方式のネットワーク化を進めており，古紙や食用廃油のリサイクルといった環境保全をめざす活動，高齢者介護などの福祉サービス活動を目的とした生協も発足している。
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