these societies which in turn delegated privileges to their members. 
Membership in these societies was voluntary but in the small coastal 
fishing villages almost all adult persons were members of these societies. 
Prefectural governments regulated and supervised these societies. 
Although the original object was the acquisition of fishing 
rights, gradually some of these organizations took on other functions 
concerned with the improvement of economic conditions of the fishermen. 
By 1920 several hundred organizations growing out of gyogyo-kumiai had 
taken on cooperative aspects engaging in cooperative marketing, purchasing 
and credit arrangements. 
Cooperatives . 95/ The cooperative movement in Japan has permeated 
the fishing industry, particularly the coastal fishing carried on in 
> 
numerous small village*. As indicated above the fishery cooperatives 
grew out of the gyogyo-kumiai. Some sources consider all gyogyo-kumiai 
as cooperatives, but others indicate a much smaller number — 723 in 
1936. Biis latter figure probably comes nearer to the number of true 
cooperatives (s&ngyo-knmiai) dealing with fishing activities. 
It is frequently stated that the fishery cooperatives began in 1933 
with the revision of the Fishery Law. Actually they began earlier but 
this law, which was favorable to the cooperative activities of village 
\ 
fishermen*s societies in marketing, ixirchasing and credit arrangements, 
caused the reorganization of many of these societies to include coopera¬ 
tive enterprises. 
957 For information concerning cooperatives in agriculture in which 
Conditions are somewhat similar to those of the fishing industry, see 
“Civil Affairs Guide -—Agricultural Associations of Japan rt (Preliminary), 
February 1945. 
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