Japan historically has imported grain from the United States to produce mixed feeds; however, crop failures there in 2012 compelled Japan to import grain from Brazil. In 2017, Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA Zen-Noh), which produces and distributes approximately 30% of Japan's mixed feeds, invested in a Brazilian joint venture to acquire and export grain. Unlike firms that acquire grain for general export (e.g., Sogo Shosha), JA Zen-Noh seeks stable supplies of grain for Japanese livestock farmers. This study investigates what compelled JA Zen-Noh to enter its Brazilian joint venture. It describes coordination and strategy throughout JA Zen-Noh's Brazil-to-Japan supply chain and suggests implications underlying stable grain procurement by analyzing JA Zen-Noh's joint venture.
