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.

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　Local economies in Japan now face stagnation due to decreasing population and aging society. There is huge economic difference among metropolitan areas and rural areas. Local financial institutions including cooperative financial institutions can play roles of reactivating local economies. Each type of cooperative financial institutions such as Shinkin banks, credit unions, labor banks and JA banks have already developed several initiatives of relationship banking. We have witnessed broad networks of partnerships among financial institutions, corporations, and professionals. Cooperative financial institutions support local economies. We should keep considering what public interest implicates to cooperative financial institutions.

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