CO-OPS. IN JAPAN

Grey River Argus, 7 September 1939, Page 10

CO-OPS. IN JAPAN

It may come as a surprise to know that as far back as 1879 a co-operative consumers’ store was founded in Tokio. Since then consumers societies have grown and developed, though they' still play" a fairly" small part in Japanese economic development. " In other directions, however, the Cooperative Movement has shown great development in the last generation or so, very' largely owing to the powerful propaganda work of Toyohiko Kagawa, a Japanese Christian who has based a whole philosophy’ of life on the idea of the Co-operative Movement, I which he indentifies with the practical application of Christianity. The movement is sufficiently" powerful to have caused the Government in 1937 to abandon proposals for additional taxation of co-operative societies.