TOKYO -- Japan's Norinchukin Bank and the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh, will jointly invest 57 billion yen ($545 million) in the FamilyMart convenience store chain to sell farm products through the store's nationwide network.
The investment by two core members of JA Group, an agricultural collective, is aimed at bolstering distribution of domestic farm output. Until now, the bank has done this mainly via direct loans to farmers.
