JA Lake Ibuki

What JA Lake Ibuki does

JA Lake Ibuki is a multi-purpose agricultural cooperative (農業協同組合) chartered under Japan's Agricultural Cooperative Act, formed in April 1998 through the merger of five predecessor cooperatives (Shiga Ibuki, Maibara Town, Shiga Omi, Nagahama City, and Kanchin). The cooperative serves approximately 12,108 member farming households across Maibara City and the former Nagahama City area in Shiga Prefecture through a network of 8 branches, 4 ATM corners, 4 country elevators (grain drying/storage facilities), 4 seedling centers, and 1 materials center, supported by 172 full-time staff and 25 board members. Its operations are organized into five business divisions: banking (信用事業) with ¥1,411.39 billion in savings and ¥191.97 billion in loans outstanding; insurance/mutual aid (共済事業) with ¥2,521.58 billion in long-term coverage in force; agricultural sales (販売事業) handling ¥1,325 million in FY2025 produce volume including rice, wheat, soybeans, and horticultural crops; purchasing (購買事業) supplying ¥827 million in production materials and daily goods; and welfare/care (介護福祉事業) including home-visit care services for the elderly.

The cooperative's core technology is conventional rather than proprietary: banking services are delivered through the JA Bank national infrastructure (including JA Net Bank and QR slip creation tools), insurance through the JA Kyosai federation pooling system, and agricultural operations through grain handling infrastructure and member-supported seedling cultivation. The standout product initiative is the 霊峰 (Reihō) premium persimmon brand, launched in 2017 using on-tree de-astringency (樹上脱渋) methods for tree-ripened seedless persimmons, marketed direct-to-consumer via the orite Maibara (おりて米原) e-commerce platform run by the Maibara Chamber of Commerce.

JA Lake Ibuki operates as a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative with no public share structure; governance rests with farmer members through the Management Committee (経営管理委員会) and Representative Director Chairman, currently Fushi Mamoru (伏木 衛). Revenue is generated across multiple streams: net interest spreads and fees on banking services, insurance premium pooling with JA Kyosai, commissions and margins on agricultural produce sales, margins on purchased inputs, and per-unit billing for home-visit care services. The cooperative maintains a 25.45% standalone capital adequacy ratio, ¥1.83 billion in investment capital, and reported a current-term surplus of ¥153 million in FY2026 (+18.2% year-on-year) and business profit of ¥95 million (+150.6% year-on-year). JA Lake Ibuki is a member of the nationwide JA Group federation, which provides centralized procurement, insurance pooling, banking infrastructure, and policy advocacy; JA Lake Ibuki does not exercise direct ownership control and no external institutional investors are indicated in the source material.

Name

JA Lake Ibuki

Legal name

レーク伊吹農業協同組合

Website

https://ja-lakeibuki.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

JA Lake Ibuki is a multi-purpose agricultural cooperative serving 12,108 member households in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, providing banking, insurance, agricultural sales/procurement, grain handling, and home-visit elderly care across Maibara and Nagahama cities through eight branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Cooperative Services

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Combination Farming (111191), Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Finance Services (6199), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Agricultural & Rural Development Banks (FSABAKAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural cooperative
• Rural banking services
• Agricultural insurance
• Farm input supply
• Home nursing care

Headquarters

HQ city

Maibara

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 信用事業 (Banking/Financial Services): JA Lake Ibuki accepts deposits (savings) from members and general residents, provides loans for agricultural, housing, and consumer purposes, and handles domestic exchange transactions. As of March 2025, savings balance was 1,411.39 billion yen and loan balance was 191.97 billion yen. Revenue is generated through interest spreads, transaction fees, and service charges on accounts and transfers.
2. 販売事業 (Agricultural Sales): The cooperative collects and sells agricultural products produced by member farmers, including rice (main rice: Koshihikari), wheat, soybeans, onions, broccoli, green onions, and specialty fruits. The sales volume of agricultural products was 1,325 million yen for the fiscal year ending March 2025. Revenue is generated through commissions on sold produce and margin on direct sales.
3. 購買事業 (Purchasing/Supply): The cooperative supplies agricultural production materials (fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machinery parts) and daily living goods to member farmers. Purchasing volume was 827 million yen (production materials: 629 million yen; daily goods: 219 million yen) for FY2025. Revenue is generated through margins on goods sold.
4. 共済事業 (Insurance/JA Kyosai): The cooperative offers life and non-life insurance products under the JA Kyosai brand, covering health, property, automobile, and agricultural risks. Long-term insurance in-force was 2,521.58 billion yen as of March 2025. Revenue comes from insurance premiums (contributions) and is shared with JA Kyosai federation.
5. 介護福祉事業 (Welfare/Care Services): The cooperative operates home-visit care (訪問介護) services for elderly and disabled residents in Maibara and Nagahama cities, providing physical care and household assistance. Total care service hours provided were 67 million hours in FY2025 (33 million hours physical care, 12 million hours combined physical/life care, 16 million hours life assistance, 6 million hours preventive care).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JA Lake Ibuki is a multi-purpose agricultural cooperative providing integrated banking (deposits, loans, remittances), insurance (life and non-life under JA Kyosai), agricultural production support (seedling supply, materials procurement, country elevator grain handling, and produce sales/marketing), and welfare services (home-visit care for elderly and disabled residents) to its 12,108 member farmer households and general local residents in Maibara City and Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture.

Product overview

JA Lake Ibuki is an agricultural cooperative offering a comprehensive range of services organized around five core business divisions:信用事業 (banking/financial services), 共済事業 (insurance/mutual aid), 購買事業 (procurement), 販売事業 (agricultural product sales), and 生活福祉事業 (life/welfare services). The cooperative operates multiple retail branches, ATMs, rice country elevators (伊吹, 近江, 長浜, 神照), seedling centers, and material centers across Maibara City and Nagahama City in Shiga Prefecture. Its agricultural portfolio centers on rice cultivation with specialty products including the premium '霊峰' persimmon brand, 'ひらたねなし柿', '金太郎まくわ' melons, '小菊' chrysanthemums, and the '北近江野菜' vegetable brand (onions, broccoli, green onions). The cooperative provides digital banking through JA Net Bank, home nursing care services, community facilities like Minori House, and educational programs through Smile Lectures, while publishing the monthly '広報誌 、ふれあい' magazine. The organization supports members with various loan products including agricultural, housing, automobile, education, and free-purpose loans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 霊峰: Premium persimmon brand made from top-quality Ibuki tree-ripened seedless persimmons using the 樹上脱渋 (on-tree de-astringency) method. Launched in 2017.
• 伊吹ひらたねなし柿
• みのりちゃん
• 北近江野菜

Products and services

• JA Net Bank (JAネットバンク) Internet banking service allowing customers to access deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and account management through computers and mobile phones.
• Comprehensive Account (総合口座) A unified savings account combining four functions: receiving payments, making payments, saving money, and borrowing, serving as a comprehensive financial management tool.
• Mortgage Loan (住宅ローン) Housing loans for new construction, purchase, expansion, or land acquisition for residential purposes, with loan amounts up to ¥100 million and terms up to 50 years.
• My Car Loan (マイカーローン) Auto loans for new or used car purchases, replacements, driver's license acquisition, inspections, repairs, and related expenses, with amounts up to ¥10 million and terms up to 15 years.
• Free Loan (フリーローン) Unsecured personal loans for furniture, appliances, weddings, travel and other personal needs, with amounts up to ¥5 million and terms up to 10 years.
• Education Loan (教育ローン) Education financing for tuition and related expenses for students attending high school or higher institutions, with amounts up to ¥10 million and terms up to 15 years including grace period.
• Agricultural Loan (営農ローン) Agricultural production loans for farm equipment purchases, barn construction, and all agricultural production-related expenses, with amounts up to ¥3 million and terms up to 7 years.
• Agricultural Modernization Fund (農業近代化資金) Subsidized agricultural loans with up to three types of interest subsidies from national, prefectural, and JA sources to support regional agricultural management.
• JA Bank Card (JAバンクカード) An integrated card combining cash card and credit card functions for banking and shopping transactions.
• JA Card (JAカード) A combined card for shopping, dining, various credit services and loans usable domestically and internationally.
• JA Kyosai Life and Non-Life Insurance (JA共済) Life and non-life insurance products covering health, property, automobile, and agricultural risks under the JA Kyosai brand, with ¥2,521.58 billion in long-term insurance in-force as of March 2025.
• Reiho (霊峰) Premium Persimmon Brand Premium brand of 'hiratanenashi' (seedless) persimmons produced using tree-on-tree de-astringency methods on the slopes of Mt. Ibuki, marketed as a limited-edition product with black sugar-like sweetness.
• Kita-Omi Vegetables (北近江野菜) Brand A regional vegetable brand encompassing various produce including onions (34ha), broccoli (27ha), and green onions (6ha), with market recognition being enhanced through the brand.
• Rice Seedling Supply Service (水稲育苗サービス) Seedling centers provide rice seedlings (181,114 boxes in FY2025) and vegetable seedlings (3,678 thousand in FY2025), including newly added white onion seedling supply for agricultural production support.
• Home-Visit Nursing Care Service (訪問介護事業) Home visit nursing care services including physical care (bathing, meals, excretion, 外出 assistance) and life assistance (cooking, laundry, cleaning, shopping) provided by 10 home helpers in Maibara and Nagahama cities.
• Minori House Multi-Purpose Facility (みのりハウス) A multi-purpose facility with cooking practice rooms (7 cooking stations for 25-30 people) and seminar rooms (14-tatami with mirrors) for cooking classes and community activities, also housing a miso processing facility.
• Niji no Kai Fureai Salon (にじの会 ふれあいサロン) A mutual assistance organization hosting community gatherings called 'Fureai Salons' at local community centers, providing meals and JA Kyosai rainbow exercises for community building and fellowship activities.
• Country Elevator Grain Services (カントリーエレベーター) Grain collection, drying, milling, and storage services for rice (121,829 bags in FY2025), wheat, barley, and soybeans provided at four country elevator facilities for member farmers.
• Agricultural Materials Supply (生産資材購買) Supply of agricultural production materials (fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machinery parts) and daily living goods to member farmers through the Maibara Materials Center and dedicated purchasing hotline.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pre-registration contract rate for rice sales reached 96.2% in FY2025, ensuring predictable market access for member farmers.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and core.

• Other JA cooperatives (JA間連携)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025JA Lake Ibuki collaborates with neighboring JAs for shared services including: rice seedling supply (signed 2-year agreement for minimum 50,000 boxes jointly), plant maintenance operations (JA间連携によるメンテナンス受託業務), and joint health equipment exhibitions. This inter-JA collaboration aims to reduce operational costs and improve service efficiency.
• JA Group (ＪＡグループ)coreOthers · 1 April 1998JA Lake Ibuki is a member of the nationwide JA Group network, which includes JA Zenchu (national federation), JA Zenno (agricultural supply and marketing), JA Kyosai (insurance), JA Bank (banking), and Norinchukin Bank (agricultural cooperative bank). JA Group provides centralized procurement, insurance pooling, banking infrastructure, and policy advocacy for all member JAs. JA Lake Ibuki operates JA Bank and JA Kyosai services under these federations' frameworks.
• Maibara City (米原市)coreOthersJA Lake Ibuki operates within and collaborates with Maibara City government on agricultural policy including farmland consolidation, 'regional planning' formulation (89 communities, 59% completed), agricultural land intermediate management, and agricultural education in local schools.
• Nagahama City (長浜市)coreOthersJA Lake Ibuki serves the former Nagahama City area (excluding former Ikata and Higashi-Asai counties) and collaborates with Nagahama City on agricultural policy, farmland consolidation, and community development programs.
• Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県)moderateOthersShiga Prefecture coordinates agricultural policy including the 'Green Food System Strategy' (みどりの食料システム戦略), agricultural disaster response, and regional agricultural planning. JA Lake Ibuki participates in prefecture-led initiatives on farmland utilization, agricultural promotion, and environmental conservation.
• Ibuki Fruit Tree Association (伊吹果樹組合)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ibuki Fruit Tree Association is a producer organization of persimmon and fruit growers that collaborates with JA Lake Ibuki on the joint development and marketing of the premium persimmon brand '霊峰'. The association handles production while JA supports marketing and sales through direct channels and the Maibara Chamber of Commerce e-commerce site.
• MAIBARA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (米原市商工会)moderateChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJA Lake Ibuki partners with the Maibara City Chamber of Commerce for e-commerce sales of the '霊峰' premium persimmon through the 'orite Maibara' (.orite米原) online marketplace, enabling nationwide direct-to-consumer sales of the specialty persimmon brand.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JA Kyoto (JA京都): Prefectural agricultural cooperative in neighboring Kyoto Prefecture offering banking, insurance, agricultural procurement, sales, and welfare services. Comparable in multi-line service breadth and rural prefectural service area to JA Lake Ibuki.
• JA Fukui (JA福井県): Prefectural agricultural cooperative in the Hokuriku/Kansai region operating the same JA multi-line service model. A direct structural peer for JA Lake Ibuki's combined banking-insurance-agriculture-welfare cooperative model.
• JA Hyogo (JA兵庫): Prefectural agricultural cooperative serving Hyogo Prefecture with the standard multi-division JA structure (JA Bank, JA Kyosai, agricultural marketing, procurement, welfare). Similar scale and operating model to JA Lake Ibuki.
• JA Osaka (JA大阪): Prefectural agricultural cooperative in Osaka Prefecture providing the same integrated JA service model (JA Bank, JA Kyosai, agricultural sales, procurement, welfare). Relevant structural peer for JA Lake Ibuki's organization and revenue mix.
• JA Shiga Prefecture (JA滋賀県本部): Prefectural federation of agricultural cooperatives in Shiga Prefecture, of which JA Lake Ibuki is a member. Operates the same multi-division JA model (banking, insurance, sales, purchasing, welfare) and serves adjacent geographic territory, making it the most direct structural comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Shiga Bank (株式会社滋賀銀行): Regional commercial bank serving Shiga Prefecture — the principal commercial banking competitor to JA Lake Ibuki's JA Bank deposit and loan operations in the same geographic market.
• JA Zenchu (JA全中): National federation coordinating policy, advocacy, and representation across all JA cooperatives in Japan, including JA Lake Ibuki. Sets operational and policy frameworks that flow down to JA Lake Ibuki's banking, insurance, and agricultural operations.
• Norinchukin Bank (農林中央金庫): Central bank for Japanese agricultural, fishery, and forestry cooperatives. Provides funding, settlement, and policy infrastructure underlying JA Lake Ibuki's JA Bank operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ja_lakeibuki

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JA Lake Ibuki