With nearly four decades of experience in Japan’s worker cooperative movement, Osamu Nakano has been a key voice in shaping the country’s cooperative landscape and connecting it to global efforts through ICA, CICOPA, and the G20. At GICS 2025, he brings a unique perspective on how Japan’s new Worker Cooperative Law—and the country’s long journey toward it—can inspire cooperative innovation worldwide.
GICS: From your position at JWCU, how do you see Japanese worker co-ops influencing international debates on work and the economy?
Osamu Nakano: Worker cooperative movements have not yet become widespread in many countries/areas other than Europe and North and South America. In this regard, the worker coops movement in Japan, having almost a 40 year history, can be regarded as one of the good models revealing that worker coops are possible outside of Euro-American countries. In particular, a new law on worker cooperatives in Japan that was just enacted in 2020 interestingly shows a legal expression of worker cooperatives in which workers (employees) are simultaneously owners (employers) of their cooperatives: it is exactly a sort of legal innovation.
GICS: What is one example where your international work—through ICA, CICOPA, or G20—made a direct difference for co-ops or workers in Japan?
ON: I have spent several years organizing the network of worker coops in the Asia Pacific region, namely the CICOPA-AP, and it was finally established in 2021. The number of member organizations of CICOPA in the Asia Pacific region has been increasing since then, so the establishment of CICOPA-AP has been greatly contributing to the development of worker coop movements in the world. At the same time, international progress has also had great impacts on the worker coop movement in Japan. In particular, it has strongly empowered the members of worker coops in Japan by showing the fact that there are many people working in worker coops in many other countries.
GICS: At GICS 2025, participants will bring diverse experiences. What is one lesson from Japan’s worker co-ops you think others here should take home?
ON: As mentioned above, the new worker cooperatives law in Japan is really innovative. The law itself, and longtime lobbying activities leading its enactment too, will give insightful hints to the participants.
GICS: In your view, what’s the most effective way for worker co-ops in Asia, Europe, and beyond to support each other?
ON: Sharing experience and knowledge about the management of worker coops, legal frameworks, policies, etc.
GICS: If you think 10 years ahead, what global issue do you believe worker co-ops will have the biggest role in solving?
ON: Revolutionizing techno capitalism on a global scale into a more human-centered, sustainable economy by abolitioning the commodification of labor power. Countering ultra nationalism in many countries by achieving the international solidarity of all workers.
