Initiatives to Resolve Local Issues
While taking this policy into consideration, JA Bank aims to provide financial services for both farming and people's daily lives, as well as to exercise its unique financial intermediary function to solve local issues and revitalize the community.
While taking this policy into consideration, JA Bank aims to provide financial services for both farming and people's daily lives, as well as to exercise its unique financial intermediary function to solve local issues and revitalize the community.
The Bank encourages JA’s innovative efforts to meet the actual conditions and needs of each region.
Topics
Leveraging the JA Network to Connect Diverse Stakeholder and Create New Value for the Community
-New Branch Initiatives: Creating Places for Multiple Generations to Gather-
Areas under the jurisdiction of JA Miyagi Tome (“JA Miyagi”) are facing a declining and aging population, leading to challenges in increasing the healthy life expectancy of the elderly and deepening ties in local communities. JA Miyagi took advantage of the financial function consolidation in April 2023, repurposing old finance branches into Yorisoi Branches for locals to gather. JA Miyagi collaborates with women's and youth clubs and other local stakeholders to create communities in which members and users can thrive.
Specifically, JA Miyagi is collaborating with members of the prefectural e-sports association to hold hands-on seminars for senior citizens and local residents to try e-sports, which can be effective in preventing frailty. These seminars have been implemented at four Yorisoi Branches within the JA Miyagi jurisdiction and have been well received by the local participating residents, with similar efforts spreading among other JA organizations in Miyagi Prefecture. JA utilizes its strength in organizations and the effective use of its facilities to create opportunities for interactions that transcend generations and help members and users feel more familiar with JA, thereby generating more supporters in the process.
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JA Smartphone Classes aimed at eliminating the digital divide throughout the country
The United Nations World Happiness Report defines having human relationships and community connections as being essential for subjective well-being. However, the digitalization of society and changes in our means of communication and services have led to the fragmentation of society through information gaps.
Smartphones are already an indispensable part of the infrastructure in society today, enabling us to maintain convenient, uniform lifestyles throughout the country and communicate with relatives and friends living in remote areas. JA considers encouraging the use of smartphones to be an important measure in addressing the information gaps.
The JA Group began offering Nationwide JA Smartphone Classes throughout Japan in July 2021 in response to requests from local residents. As of March 31, 2024, the group held a total of up to 7,400 for approximately 66,000 participants in total.
JA is committed to bridging information gaps by providing new opportunities for people to utilize our digital services.
Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Future Fund Supports Local AFF Organizations
The Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Future Fund was established in 2014 by The Norinchukin Bank, a member of JA Group, JF Group and JForest Group, with a ¥20 billion contribution. This fund seeks to support initiatives to nurture leaders who drive the sustainable development of the AFF industries, strengthen the revenue base of these industries and revitalize local communities based on the AFF industries.
Projects Targeted by the Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Future Fund
Number of Projects Targeted and Amount of Subsidy from the Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Future Fund
Food and Farming Education Activities
Each year, we distribute booklets to children in the fifth year of elementary school across Japan covering a variety of topics, from food and farming education to environmental education to financial and economic education. We also distribute a universal edition for special education schools. In fiscal 2022, we added new themes related to the SDGs, such as "food loss," and distributed approximately 1.30 million copies were distributed free of charge to 20,000 elementary schools nationwide.
Senior Elementary School Edition: Our Lives with Agriculture (Left), Universal Design Edition (Right)
Training the Next Generation of Farm Managers
AgriFuture Japan (AFJ), a general incorporated association of which the Bank is a main sponsor, opened the Japan Agricultural Management University in 2013 with the support of its member companies. This university aims to train the next generation of agricultural managers, with 128 graduates to date.
The university celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023 and changed its name to the AFJ Japan Institute of Agricultural Management, launching a new online school to expand the scope of agricultural management education. Furthermore, in April 2024, the university is taking on the challenge of making further contributions to the agricultural industry by launching an educational program aimed at fostering innovators in agribusiness.
Creating Business Innovation
AgVenture Lab: A Hub for Open Innovation
The JA Group opened the AgVenture Lab, an innovation lab in Otemachi, Tokyo, in 2019. This lab was based on the concepts of cultivating agriculture for the next generation, supporting local lifestyles, and connecting places and people. AgVenture Lab connects various JA Group businesses with startup companies, partner companies, universities, governments, and other organizations that possess technologies and ideas. Through these connections, the lab works to create new businesses, develop services, and solve social issues by utilizing various knowledge and technologies.
The JA Group works with the AgVenture Lab to discover and nurture startup companies.
The JA Accelerator Program in particular accepts business plan submissions from FinTech, AgTech, FoodTech, LifeTech, and a wide range of other fields for a wide range of businesses developed by the JA Group under the theme of Co-creating Sustainable Futures in Food, Agriculture, and Lifestyles. To this end, the JA Accelerator Program aims to create new business models by leveraging the strengths of the JA Group (e.g., group branches, customer networks, and other various infrastructures). In 2023, the fifth year of the program, 10 startup companies were selected from among 189 applications.
The JA Group also holds business plan contests for student entrepreneurs and an incubation program that aims to foster new entrepreneurs. Through these efforts, the JA Group supports students and working adults looking to start their own businesses, as well as recently launched startup companies that have just begun operations.
Focusing on the education of its employees, the JA Group operates a program to develop human resources for new business creation and a cross-border training program that sends employees to study abroad at startup companies. The group follows up with employees throughout their education, from cultivating organizational awareness to practical demonstrations of what they have learned. In this way, the group fosters a culture in which employees take voluntary action and continue their pursuit of answers to questions for which there are no right answers.
In addition, AgVenture Lab works to strengthen its cooperation with farmers and governments, aiming to resolve regional issues in society as part of its efforts.
In 2020, AgVenture Lab signed a partnership agreement with the National Council of Agricultural Cooperative Youth Organizations (JA Youth) to connect agricultural production sites with startup companies. JA Zenseikyo is made up of nearly 50,000 members from mostly younger generations. Partnerships between the organization and startup companies developing new technologies are likely to generate significant synergy effects.
The JA Group is also committed to working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and local governments to advance innovation.
AgVenture Lab Initiative Areas
| 5th JA Accelerator Program Business Plan Contest Award Recipients | |
|---|---|
| 〈Business Plan Contest Merit Award〉 5th JA Accelerator Program Participating Companies | |
| Benners, Inc. | Fish Subscription Fishlle: Connecting Ports to Tables |
| Mirai Scien Co. Ltd. | Cutting Pesticides in Half and Increasing Yields by 40% Through Daily AI Pest and Disease Forecasts |
| ASTRA FOOD PLAN Co., Ltd. | Reducing and Upcycling Hidden Food Loss With Superheated Steaming Machine for Drying and Sterilization |
| RelieFood Inc. | Issa Kitchen Tokyo Confectionery Brand for Barrier-Free Food |
| KDBI Corporation | Contributing to Agricultural Environment and Paddy Field Management Through Rice Subsoil Deep Fertilization |
| Faeger Co. Ltd. | Agriculture-Derived Carbon Credit Generation & Sales |
| TRINUS Co., Ltd. | Unearthing and Commercializing Buried Agricultural Resources Through the Creator Community |
| Kisui Tech | Collaboration With JA to Utilize AI Robots to Raise Incomes for Family Fruit Farmers |
| Mizuiro Inc. | Upcycling Branding Business Centered on Vegetable Crayon® |
| AGE technologies, inc. | Supporting the Digital Transformation of Inheritance Procedures and Proposing Asset Utilization Among Family Members |
| 〈Innovation Award〉 Companies separate to this program eligible for consideration for an alliance or support | |
| LacuS Inc., Ananthya Co., Ltd., NEXT NEW WORLD Corporation, huntech Co., Ltd., Think Nature Inc. | |
Topics
Noujien Platform for Solving Issues in Food and Agriculture
The AgVenture Lab is an innovation lab that actively supports agricultural support service providers in their efforts to solve many of the challenges faced in the agricultural field. Activities of the lab found that it is difficult for farmers to find appropriate services on their own. In response, the AgVenture Lab established a portal site for farmers and agricultural organizations called Noujien.
The Noujien website was constructed through a project subsidized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and aims to resolve issues faced by all individuals involved in agriculture. The site targets farmers, agricultural organizations, and government agencies who can use the site to first discover their own issues and feel encouraged to find appropriate solutions.
Topics
Organizing a Business Plan Contest for Students
The AgVenture Lab (innovation lab) held a business plan contest for students to support student entrepreneurs who aim to solve social issues.
In fiscal 2022, 10 finalists were selected from 76 ideas submitted by universities, graduate schools, and high schools nationwide.
At the contest held in February 2023, each of the finalists presented their business plans and deepened their collaboration with participants and sponsors, including the JA Group.
The JA Group is actively engaged in dialogue with these young people that is aimed at collaboration and partnership.
Participants in the Business Plan Contest for Students
[Excellence Award]
• Soffione inc. (N High School) Development of a Kitchen Car Franchise to Create New Value for Discarded Apples
• Cross Medicine Inc. (Tokushima University) Preventing Postpartum Depression With awababy
• FairMed (Kobe University) AI-Based Intravascular Surgical Navigation System Development Project
[The Norinchukin Bank Award]
• Soffione inc. (N High School) Development of a Kitchen Car Franchise to Create New Value for Discarded Apples
The JA Group Approach to the SDGs
The achievement of the SDGs requires not only the participation of governments, but also private organizations and businesses, with cooperative organizations expected to play a role as well.
In light of these circumstances and expectations of cooperatives, the JA Group released the JA Group Declaration of Commitment to the SDGs in 2020, which outlines the JA Group's basic approach to the SDGs.
As a member of the JA Group, the Bank will also promote efforts to achieve the SDGs.
- Sustainability
- Sustainability Management
- Highlights of Initiatives
- Our Purpose and Vision
- Philosophies and Policies
- Sustainability Promotion Structure
- Sustainability Advisory Board
- Important Issues to Achieve Our Purpose
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Participation in Initiatives
- Sustainable Finance
- Initiatives for Creating and Visualizing Impact
- Initiatives to Manage Environmental and Social Risks
- Agriculture, Fishery, Forestry Industries, and Regions
- Environment
- Social
- Governance
- Report/Index