Volunteer Labour Bank/Network (Japan)

The Volunteer Labour Bank, Osaka, is the world’s first known time bank. It became the hub of a national network of time banks, which was later named the Volunteer Labour Network. The network also expanded across to the USA in the early 1980s, making it the world’s first international timebanking organisation. It developed and operated a ‘purist’ model of timebanking, combining horizontal and vertical exchange of services (i.e. exchanges within the same period and, via longer-term ‘banking’ of time credits, exchanges across different periods, so providing, in principle, for intergenerational security). It also organised a component of voluntary work alongside time exchange. All exchanges were valued only in time currency on the basis of all services having equal value, reflected only in the time spent delivering/receiving service. The organisation attracted mainly middle-aged women, often people caring for elderly kinfolk. It enabled them to organise mutual-aid and respite, while offering security that they would also receive care in their old age. The network expanded quickly. But as the challenge of caring for the elderly became more critical in Japan, owing to the aging of the population (especially acute from the late 1970s), new timebanking organisations emerged, such as JCSA and NALC. Some of these operated mixed-currency models of timebanking and appealed to and served different sections of society. These gradually overtook the VLB/VLN in terms of presence and importance. The VLB/VLN survives today, but at very low levels of activity. Other timebanks now dominate the Japanese timebanking scene, which is complex and differentiated.