The core of the economic business of the JA Group’s 4 national federations = a nationwide federation of purchasing + marketing businesses. Established in 1972 (merger of Zenhanren + Zenkoren), it is a federation grounded in the Agricultural Cooperatives Act. Its business comprises (1) Purchasing = procurement and supply of feed, fertilizer, agricultural chemicals, agricultural machinery, fuel, and daily goods, (2) Marketing = collection and distribution of rice, wheat, horticultural, and livestock products, and (3) processing, logistics, and directly operated stores (A-Coop, etc.). With annual transaction volume on the scale of several trillion yen, it is one of Japan’s largest agricultural-products distribution organizations. Norinchukin handles finance, while JA Zen-Noh handles the flow of “goods” in a complementary relationship. The flow of nationwide JA → JA Zen-Noh → markets / major distribution → consumers, and the reverse purchasing flow (manufacturers → JA Zen-Noh → nationwide JA → farmers), are the two major business lines. It is itself a non-financial business entity that does not handle deposits or insurance, but it shares the same customer base of the 497 JA cooperatives nationwide as JA Bank.
1. Organizational structure
Item
Details
Formal name
全国農業協同組合連合会 (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations)
Common name
JA 全農 / 全農 (JA Zen-Noh / Zen-Noh)
English name
National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH)
Legal form
A federation based on the Agricultural Cooperatives Act (business federation)
Established
1972-03 (formed by integrating Zenhanren + Zenkoren)
Headquarters
JA Building, 1-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Members
The 497 JA nationwide + prefectural agricultural-cooperative federations + affiliated corporations
Farmers’ purchase payments and sale proceeds are settled via JA deposit accounts → a structure that thickens JA Bank’s deposit base
Major trading companies (Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corporation, Itochu Corporation, etc.) are both competitors and counterparties of JA Zen-Noh
Self-reform and external pressure
2014 Regulatory Reform Council: strongly demanded the “incorporation as a stock company,” “business consolidation,” and “reduction of production-material costs” of Zen-Noh
2015 onward, annual self-reform plans: 10% reduction of feed / fertilizer costs, distribution efficiency, strengthening of overseas exports
Incorporation as a stock company was ultimately shelved — the federation form is maintained, but business-efficiency improvement continues
Overseas expansion
US subsidiary CGB (Consolidated Grain and Barge): a major US grain-collection and logistics company
Promotion of overseas exports: overseas sales of rice, beef, and fresh produce (US, Asia, EU markets)
Competitive structure
Major trading companies: competition with the production-materials + food-distribution businesses of Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corporation, and Itochu Corporation
Major food manufacturers: competition with major rice wholesalers (the Pearl Rice group, Shinmei, etc.) in rice distribution
Major distributors: directly operated A-Coop competes with regional supermarkets and convenience stores (Seven, AEON)
4. Supervision / regulation
Jurisdiction: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (federation supervision) + Japan Fair Trade Commission (Antimonopoly Act — the issue of transaction-concentration degree)
Legal basis: Agricultural Cooperatives Act (federation provisions) + membership-admission regulation for the federation
Recent policy issues:
Reduction of production-material costs (an ongoing issue at the reform council)
Promotion of agricultural-product exports
Redefinition of JA Zen-Noh’s role in the food-security plan (2026 onward)
Response to digital agriculture (smart agriculture)
Related
norinchukin — The credit core of the JA Group (financial flow)
ja-zenchu — JA Group representation / agricultural-policy movement
Regulatory Reform Council 2014-2015 agricultural-cooperative reform minutes
[!info] 校核状态
confidence: likely. Based on public information (JA Zen-Noh official + JA Group Factbook + agricultural-cooperative reform minutes). Transaction volume is the figure published for FY 2024 年 (Term 54 ), 5 兆 1,286 億円 (reaching the 5 兆円 range for the first time in 11 years, +4% YoY). Because it fluctuates year to year, the latest should be confirmed in the business report. The performance of the overseas subsidiary CGB should be confirmed in US subsidiary disclosures.