About Palsystem

Palsystem Consumers' Co-operative Union is a federation consisting of local co-ops and the Palsystem Insurance Consumers' Co-operative Federation, located mainly in the capital region. Based on consumer co-op’s spirit of mutual help, Palsystem Consumers' Co-operative Union works with Palsystem Group’s member co-ops and subsidiaries to promote essential businesses, including merchandise (mainly food) delivery, mutual-aid and insurance, welfare services, and electric power supply.

Origin of the name

The name Palsystem derives from the English words "pal" (friend or companion) and "system" (institution or organization).
It was chosen to mean "participation of individuals in building a large-scale collaborative operation."

Overview of Palsystem (As of March 31, 2022)

  • Date Founded

    February 9th, 1990

  • Members of Group Co-ops

    13

  • Group Co-ops' total revenue

    256.91 billion yen

  • Union's revenue

    176.97 billion yen

  • Members' Shares

    13.87 billion yen

  • Workers

    399 (excluding part-time workers)

  • Area

    Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano, and Shizuoka Pref.

  • Head office

    2-2-6, Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8527, Japan
    Phone: +81(3)6233-7200
    Fax: +81(3)3232-6540

  • Total members

    1.683 million members

Principles of the Palsystem

Create a spiritually rich lifestyle and a society of co-existence.

Spiritually Rich Lifestyle

This refers to a lifestyle whereby people pursue generosity and peace of mind, good quality of life as well as strong interpersonal relationships as important values, never remaining content with mere materialistic wealth.

Society of Co-existence

This refers to a society in which people help their neighbors by pursuing a symbiotic coexistence between nature and human beings, a peaceful coexistence of people that transcends regionalism and any conventions, creating an organic relationship between the present and the future.

Top Message

Atsushi Ishida President & Representative Director
Masakazu OnobuPresident & Representative Director
Atsushi Shibusawa Exective Director & Representative Director
Atsushi ShibusawaExective Director &
Representative Director

The Palsystem Group has developed "Palsystem Group's Vision for 2030," outlining the issues we should work on and our goals for 2030. Based on the theme "Building inclusive communities through eating, producing, and supporting each other," we have also added "changing" and "understanding each other" to set five key words. In particular, we see "understanding each other" as an essential component, the foundation for every activity of ours.
As we look at Japanese society, more households are struggling due to unemployment and business closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Palsystem Group has reinforced support, including the delivery of extra food generated in the supply process and the operation of a scholarship system funded by co-op members' donations. Numerous messages of appreciation from our partner organizations and individuals make us realize the growing expectations for co-operatives that are built on mutual help.
The environment surrounding us is becoming more challenging, such as a recent increase in food and energy prices due to military conflicts and climate change. To ensure peaceful lives for future generations, we need to pursue sustainability comprehensively, including measures to mitigate climate change, to use less plastic, and to respect human rights.
As we witness a rapid spread of isolation and division across the globe, co-operatives are expected to play a larger role as a solution to problems and as social infrastructure. We must further reinforce our efforts to build a sustainable and recycling-based society based on the strong, trusting relationships with all of you. Let us all work together and deepen our collaboration to build a safe and secure society for all.

Palsystem Group's Vision for 2030

Building inclusive communities through eating, producing and supporting each other

Individual action will build sustainable communities and lead to world peace

Palsystem Group's Vision for 2030

Eating<Food>

We will share the importance of eating and promote safe and spiritually rich food throughout our communities.

  1. We will address various needs in everyday life by developing safe and reliable products to provide food and healthy living throughout the life of each individual, as well as by communicating that information properly.
  2. The concept of ethical consumption is that people choose products with an understanding of the issues surrounding production and distribution while emphasizing the importance of enjoying tasty food, passing the food culture on to future generations, and food education. We will promote this concept throughout our communities.
  3. Through collaboration with governments and various other organizations, we will address social issues surrounding food, including its safety and self-sufficiency rate.

Producing<Agriculture, Sanchoku *>

We will create communities together and ensure sustainable production and consumption.

  1. We will create new mechanisms and opportunities to support producers in various forms, in order to further strengthen relationships between co-op members and producers through promotion of their interactions and deeper mutual understanding.
  2. We will promote the development of attractive agriculture, forestry, fishery, and manufacturing by incorporating co-op members’ wishes in our product development. We will create a mechanism that enables producers to feel proud, attracts more potential successors into production and manufacturing fields, and revitalizes local economy and communities.
  3. We will support the development of Japanese agriculture, forestry, fishery, and manufacturing as well as international Sanchoku* production areas through the establishment of sustainable production, processing, and distribution. We will achieve this by expanding our domestic and international collaboration with organizations and groups that develop innovative production and manufacturing.

Supporting each other<Welfare, mutual help>

We will promote comfortable communities for all through mutual support in everyday life.

  1. We will provide support in everyday life so that people can live their lives in their own ways, by enhancing our products, services, mutual aid, and welfare businesses that accommodate their needs throughout their lives.
  2. We will actively engage in community welfare by creating and promoting mechanisms and hubs for everyone in our communities to support each other through whatever they can contribute.
  3. We will build human resource networks in collaboration with governments and various community action groups. Through this effort, we will develop business and activity models of mutual support that can be utilized in solving issues such as poverty and inequalities as well as in disaster relief.

Changing<Environment>

We will change individual lifestyles and promote the nurturing environment for diverse forms of life.

  1. We will reduce plastic and other waste, CO2 emissions, and food loss through product development and improvement, thereby accelerating the shift towards more environmentally friendly consumption.
  2. We will cooperate with production areas and business partners to expand the environmentally sustainable agriculture, forestry, and fishery as well as to promote the shift towards environmentally friendly manufacturing and distribution facilities, thereby contributing to the better local environment.
  3. We will give the highest priority to the measures against global warming and urge society to change our values. Meanwhile, we will collaborate with various organizations that promote renewable energy to build a society not dependent on nuclear power generation.

Understanding each other<Peace>

We will promote mutual understanding and build an inclusive and peaceful society where everyone is valued.

  1. By paying attention to the issues surrounding all groups of people and communicating with each other, we will build an inclusive society where people respect diversity and value each other.
  2. We will create more opportunities to pass the importance of peace on to the next generation by learning the meaning of peace and the Constitution as well as by sharing the experiences of the atomic bombings and the war.
  3. Aiming to build a society without threats to peace, such as wars and nuclear weapons, or poverty, we will collaborate with other co-operatives and various other organizations within and outside Japan to promote activities and policy recommendations to end hunger, exploitation, discrimination, and violence.

* Sanchoku: Direct producer-market channeling based on traceability, standardization and communication.


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