What is The Norinchukin Bank?

  • What kind of financial institution is The Norinchukin Bank?
  • The Norinchukin Bank is a financial institution established by Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA), Japan Fishery Cooperatives (JF), Japan Forest Owners’ Cooperatives (JForest) and other members of the agriculture, fishery and forestry cooperative system. As a private financial institution based on the Norinchukin Bank Law, The Norinchukin Bank plays a major role in Japanese society as a contributor to the development of the nation's economy and as a supporter of the advancement of the agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries through the provision of financial services to its members.
  • What kind of organization is a cooperative?
  • Cooperatives are organizations established under the slogan "one for all and all for one" that are based in communities and play a role in stabilizing people's lives by encouraging mutual aid between people and revitalizing communities. Their functions are performed in a wide range of fields that are concerned with people's livelihoods.
    In addition to the cooperative banking business, which involves accepting deposits and making loans, we, the members of agricultural, fishery and forestry cooperatives, engage in a number of other business activities. Among these are providing "guidance" for business and day-to-day matters for farmers, fishermen, and foresters; "economic support" through sale of agricultural, fishery and forestry products as well as procurement of production materials; and "mutual insurance" services for providing mutual aid.
  • What is The Norinchukin Bank's role in the cooperative system?
  • With the stable funding base provided by capital from JA, JF, and JForest, as well as JA Bank and JF Marine Bank deposits from their individual members and customers, the Bank lends funds to members, agricultural, fishery and forestry workers, and companies related to the agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries. The Bank also conducts various lending and investment activities in Japan and abroad, efficiently manages funds and stably returns profits to its members.

  • What is the relationship between The Norinchukin Bank and JA Bank and JF Marine Bank?
  • JA Bank is the name of a group that essentially functions as a financial institution and consists of JA, JA Shinnoren, and The Norinchukin Bank, which are all JA Bank members. For details, please see The Norinchukin Bank annual report or visit the JA Bank website.

    JF Marine Bank is the name of a nationwide financial group consisting of JF Marine Bank members (JF that engage in the cooperative banking business including deposits and loans, JF Shingyoren, The Norinchukin Bank, and JF Zengyoren).
    For details, please see The Norinchukin Bank annual report or visit the JF Marine Bank website.

  • What does The Norinchukin Bank logo represent?
  • The landscape depicted in our logo represents Japan itself where agriculture, fishery and forestry are connected to all life. The tapestry woven from the earth, the seas and the forests portrays the breath of life and the will that carries each one of us forward, step by step.

  • What are The Norinchukin Bank's business operations?
  • Please use the following link to the page that explains the businesses of The Norinchukin Bank.

  • What are The Norinchukin Bank's financing services?
  • As the main bank for the AFF industries, the Bank has created a unique cooperative financing program, aimed at providing support not only from the aspect of financial support but also from a business operations perspective to turn the AFF industries into growth industries and to support customers’ growth and development.

    Whilst cooperative organizations (JA, JF, JForest and related federations) are taking a leading role in these initiatives as financial contact points for leaders in the AFF industries, the Bank is focused on providing financial support, etc., to large-scale AFF leaders, cooperative organizations, etc. This financing for AFF industries has been positioned as the Bank’s core business since its establishment.

    In addition, the Bank’s financing covers a wide range of industries, including not only those directly involved in the AFF industries such as the food industry where AFF products are processed; the pulp and paper industries; the chemical and machinery industries that produce production materials for primary industries; and the trading, supermarket and restaurant industries that distribute primary industry products, but also customers in other fields, including the leasing, credit, IT, telecommunications, real estate and service industries.

    Furthermore, the Bank actively responds to customers’ needs by offering advisory functions according to their challenges and utilizing its abundant funds in yen to address the need for M&A funds. For customers entering the overseas market, the Bank leverages its stable foreign currency funding ability, through cooperation among its overseas network and branches in Japan.

    Leveraging its deep relationships with leaders in the AFF industries and accumulated knowledge of these industries, long-term transactions with the business community and its domestic and overseas networks, the Bank offers various solutions to expand sales, add higher value, reduce production costs, and revitalize diverse regions and local communities.

  • What is The Norinchukin Bank's securities investment?
  • For investment in securities, the Bank has promoted “globally diversified investment” since 1998 to achieve stable returns. By diversifying investments in a wide range of markets and assets with different risk-return characteristics, the Bank aims to construct a portfolio with less overall risk.

    The Bank has also bolstered the group-wide asset management business. The Norinchukin Group’s asset management firms include Norinchukin Zenkyoren Asset Management Co., Ltd., which provides a full lineup of instruments and services for not only traditional assets such as bonds and stocks but also credit and alternative assets; Norinchukin Value Investments Co., Ltd., which has engaged in long-term concentrated investments since its founding; Nochu-JAML Investment Advisors Co., Ltd., which manages the real estate private REIT services; and Norinchukin Capital Co., Ltd., which specializes in private equity investments. In collaboration with these asset management firms in the Group, the Bank satisfies a wide range of customer needs for financial instruments and asset-management services.

    In addition, the Bank further focuses on expanding and deepening sustainable finance on a group-wide basis toward one of its Medium/Long-Term Goals of executing ¥10 trillion in new sustainable finance by fiscal 2030.

  • What are The Norinchukin Bank's deposit services?
    • Features of the Bank’s Deposits
      Deposits from member cooperatives comprise the majority of the Bank’s deposits. Other deposits consist primarily of those from companies involved in the AFF industries and nonprofit organizations, such as local public bodies. This is due to the Bank’s role as the national-level cooperative financial institution for the AFF industries.
    • Deposits from JA Bank and JF Marine Bank Members
      Savings deposited with JA and JF by their individual members and local customers are used to finance individual members, local customers, companies, local public bodies and other such organizations. Surplus funds are then deposited with JA Shinnoren or JF Shingyoren at the prefectural level. These funds, in turn, are used by JA Shinnoren or JF Shingyoren to finance agricultural and fisheries organizations, companies involved in the agricultural and fisheries industries, local public bodies and other such organizations. Surplus funds are then deposited with the Bank.
      In its capacity as the national-level cooperative banking institution in the cooperative banking system, the Bank is responsible for centrally managing funds steadily deposited in this manner.
      To enable individual members and local customers to deposit their valued savings with a sense of security, JA, JF, JA Shinnoren, JF Shingyoren and the Bank are protected under the Agricultural and Fishery Cooperative Savings Insurance System, a public system that insures deposits.
  • What are The Norinchukin Bank's settlement services for the cooperative group network ?
  • Cooperative financial institutions, comprising JA, JA Shinnoren, JF, JF Shingyoren and the Bank, have one of the largest networks among private financial institutions in Japan, with approximately 6,300 branches (as of March 31, 2023). At the heart of this network is the Cooperative Settlement Data Transmission System, which is operated jointly by the cooperative financial institutions.
    • Domestic Exchange Business Leveraging Special Characteristics of Cooperatives
      As the national-level financial institution for Japan’s AFF cooperatives, the Bank has focused on expanding and upgrading settlement services for all relevant cooperatives. The domestic exchange business plays an important role in the settlement of proceeds from the sale of AFF products that connect points of consumption and production. Leveraging the special characteristics of the cooperatives with their extensive nationwide network, the Bank conducts domestic exchange transactions with banks that are members of the Domestic Funds Transfer System (operated by Zengin-Net; Japanese Bank’s Payment Clearing Network) through the Zengin Data Telecommunication System (Zengin System) in Japan.
    • Cash Dispenser and ATM Network
      Through the JA Online Savings Service and the JF Online Savings Service, cooperative banking institutions have a nationwide network of ATM machines and cash dispensers. In addition, as a member of the Multi-Integrated Cash Service (MICS) network aiming to facilitate a smooth operation of a cross-sector online alliance service of cash dispenser and ATM operators, the cooperative banking institutions are part of an alliance of seven private-sector banks (city banks, regional banks, trust banks, second-tier regional banks, shinkin banks, credit unions and labor banks). This enables savings withdrawals and balance inquiries at cash dispensers and ATMs, not only at the cooperative banking institutions but also at most other financial institutions throughout Japan.
    • Direct Deposit and Fund Transfer Services
      Direct deposits and fund transfer services for salary, pension and utility payments involve massive volumes of data. The Bank provides the Cooperative Data Transmission System, which enables swift processing of such massive data, connecting with unified IT infrastructure platforms for JA and JF, as well as other financial institutions via the Zengin System.

    Number of Branches, Cash Dispensers and ATMs(As of March 31, 2023)

    Number of cooperative members Number of branches Number of cash dispenseas and ATMs

    Norinchukin
    Bank

    1

    20

    0

    JA
    Shinnoren

    32

    45

    603

    JA

    546

    6,147

    9,872

    JF
    Shingyoren

    10

    75

    449

    JF

    74

    96

    157

    Total

    663

    6,383

    11,081

    • Number of cooperative members and branches that handle domestic exchange operations
    • Networks with Customers in Japan and Overseas
      The Bank has formed a network for customer transactions placing the Cooperative Data Transmission System and the Norinchukin Online Banking System at its core. It also offers a diversified range of sophisticated services, such as remittance services through the “firm banking” system for cooperative banking customers, and uses the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) settlement system for transactions between the Bank’s head office or overseas branches and overseas financial institutions.

    Networks with Customers in Japan and Overseas

  • What is Norinchukin Bank Debentures?
  • In accordance with the Norinchukin Bank Act, the Bank is authorized to issue Norinchukin Bank Debentures as a source of funding.
    Since September 2021, the Bank has issued U.S. dollar-denominated Norinchukin Bank Debentures in the overseas market. The issuance of yen-denominated Norinchukin Bank Debentures (bonds for subscription) has been suspended in consideration of the recent financial circumstances.

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