JCCU on June 15, 2018, held the 68th General Assembly in Tokyo. Out of 661 representatives to the General Assembly, 459 attended in person, 5 by proxy and 197 by document.

The meeting was honored to receive congratulatory messages from distinguished guests including Ms. JOZUKA Yumiko, Director-General, Social welfare and War Victims’ Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Mr. OKAGAWA Yoshitaka, Director of ‘Office of Consumers’ Cooperative Societies of the same Ministry, Mr. NAKAYA Toru, the President of the Japan Co-operative Alliance (JCA) and also the President of JA-ZENCHU (Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives).

(R) Ms. JOZUKA Yumiko of MHLW / (L) HONDA Eiichi the president of JCCU

At the opening remarks, the President of JCCU, HONDA Eiichi, expressed his appreciation to co-ops nationwide for their timely effort in various ways towards the revival of the victims and the reconstruction exercise from the heavy rains that caused extensive flooding in the Northern Kyushu and further asked the co-ops to continue to demonstrate its role in the region.

He mentioned that, as disparity and poverty become increasingly serious problems in daily life, co-ops nationwide have been actively engaged in food banks, food drives, Children's Cafeteria, etc. and by spreading these support activities, not only for co-op members but for all citizens, we can "create communities where people can live in with a sense security".

All the six bills including the 2017 business and financial reports, the 2018 business plan and the budget, were passed by majority votes.

State of the bill vote

There was a debate session after the bill was proposed, in which 15 representatives gave remarks.

In addition, vigorous discussions were held on a wide range of subjects, including, co-ops initiative towards creating affluent communities, efforts to develop human resources for future co-op staff and practical reports on inter-co-operative collaboration.

Also a special appeal was made on "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)". In order to play a part in contributing to its realization, "Co-op Action Plan" based on seven initiatives was confirmed.