Abstract
Consumers' cooperatives are mutual organizations, but in recent years their public nature has
come to attract attention. This paper analyzes the business activities and social initiatives of
consumers' cooperatives in Japan, and shows that their activities have been expanding into the
public sphere. It then raises such issues as concerns about subcontracting to the government and
the fact that the public activities of consumers' cooperatives are not connected to their
characteristics as cooperatives, sometimes resulting in contradictions. Finally, it points out the
importance of conducting activities based on cooperative principles and relying on each and every
member.
