By Anca Voinea
Japan’s Diet unanimously adopted the New worker co-op legislation which could pave the way for a new wave of co-ops in the country. The new legislation adopted on 4 December, means businesses can now register as worker co-operatives.
Prior to the adoption of the law Japan had no specific legal form for worker co-operatives, which had to register either as non-profit organisations or small and medium enterprises.
Apex bodies Japan Cooperative Alliance (JCA) and Japan Workers’ Cooperative Union (JWCU) had long been campaigning for legislative changes to enable the sector to grow.
“Today, we live in the midst of unease and confusion to which no end is in sight, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nobuhiro Furumura, chair of JWCU and board member of the International Organisation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives (Cicopa).