On March 19, the Exchange Conference on "Building Harmonious Labor Relations and Vocational Skills Training for Industrial Workers", hosted by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and the Japan International Labor Foundation(JILAF), and organized by the China University of Labor Relations (CULR), was held in the lecture hall at the 8th-floor of Zhiyuan Building. Zheng Jiaheng, Deputy Director of the International Department of the ACFTU, Yagi Takayuki, Special Counselor of the JILAF, Ryou Saitou, Director of the International Policy Department of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, Fu Deyin, President of the CULR, and Li Ke, Vice President of the CULR, attended the conference. A total of more than 40 people including the Japanese delegation, staff from the International Department of the ACFTU, and representatives of teachers and students from the CULR participated in the conference.

President Fu Deyin warmly welcomed the delegation in his speech and introduced the history, positioning, and academic characteristics of the CULR. He said that the CULR, as a higher education institution focusing on research in the field of trade unions and labor relations, is committed to building the university into a top domestic and internationally renowned university in the field of labor and trade unions. This exchange conference established a broader platform for enhancing mutual understanding in the field of labor between China and Japan, consolidating development consensus, deepening cooperation, and jointly studying the harmonious development of labor relations and the improvements of industrial workers' skills.

Special Councilor Yagi Takayuki pointed out in his speech that China and Japan have a long history of economic and cultural exchanges, and this exchange will further enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of labor relations, serving as a bridge for friendship and cooperation between China and Japan. He delivered a presentation titled "Japan's Vocational Skills Development Policy" at the conference, providing an overview of different industries in Japan and the current status of employment insurance from a macro perspective, and elaborating on Japan's vocational skills development policy in detail.

Director Ryou Saitou gave a presentation titled "The Role and Challenges of the Labor Movement in Japan" at the conference. He analyzed the current situation of Japanese trade unions and their functions through specific data, and introduced the history and development of the labor movement in Japan, the productivity movement, and the labor-management negotiation system with abundant cases.

At the conference, Associate Professor Zhao Mingfei, Vice Director of the Institute of Labor Relations and Trade Unions of the CULR, gave a presentation titled "Chinese Trade Unions and Vocational Skills Training for Industrial Workers", introducing the basic situation of China's reform of industrial worker team building and the role of Chinese trade unions in vocational skills training for industrial workers.

During the exchange conference, teachers and students from the CULR actively interacted with Japanese representatives, and conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as Japanese trade unions promoting the participation and rights protection of workers in new forms of employment, and Japanese companies encouraging employees to participate in vocational skills training.

After the exchange conference, all parties came to the Monument of Friendship between Chinese and Japanese Workers, witnessing the deep friendship between the CULR and the JILAF.

The JILAF is an organization jointly funded by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, specializing in international exchanges in the field of labor. Since 2018, the CULR has been engaged in friendly exchanges with the JILAF and hosting a thematic exchange conference every year under the joint organization of the ACFTU and the JILAF.

(International Office of Cooperation and Exchange)