From October 7 to 10, a five-member delegation from the National Association of YMCAs of China, along with representatives from the Shanghai, Chengdu, and Xi'an YMCAs, visited Kitakyushu, Japan, to attend the 2025 China-Japan YMCA Liaison Committee Meeting. The event brought together about 30 participants, including the secretary-general and staff of the Japan YMCA Alliance, as well as secretaries-general from YMCAs in 24 cities across Japan.
According to the National Councils of YMCAs and YWCAs of China, the meeting centered on discussions about the history of exchanges between the YMCAs of the two countries, their current development, the unique social service initiatives of urban YMCAs, and future directions for collaboration. The event aimed to strengthen ties between national associations and local YMCAs, fostering deeper cooperation in social service work.
Mr. Shigeru Shimada, former secretary general of the National Council of YMCAs of Japan, and Mr. Wu Jianrong, former secretary general of the National Council of YMCAs of China, jointly reviewed the 40-year history of YMCA exchanges between the two nations through live speeches, prerecorded videos, and written presentations. As most participants were newly appointed leaders, the meeting featured resuming in-person interactions, exploring new paths for collaboration, and expanding areas of exchange.
During the keynote session, the Chinese delegation presented a comprehensive overview of the practical achievements of YMCAs in China in advancing innovative, advocacy-oriented social services, along with experiences and stories from implementing the World YMCA's Vision 2030.
Focusing on collaboration among urban YMCAs, representatives from six cities on both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as peace education, youth empowerment, elderly care, and environmental protection. The exchanges actively explored areas of cooperation and laid a solid foundation for establishing broader and deeper partnerships in the future.
In addition, the delegation visited the Kitakyushu and Kumamoto YMCAs, conducting on-site studies of their specialized service programs in areas such as peace education, language training, vocational education, childcare, youth development, and camp services. Through these visits, they gained firsthand insights into Japan's advanced concepts and practical experience in the professionalization of social services.
Since the 1980s, the YMCAs of China and Japan have jointly established a liaison committee meeting mechanism, holding more than 20 sessions in rotation over the past 40 years. This long-standing high-level dialogue platform has deepened practical cooperation between the two sides across multiple fields and yielded significant results in enhancing mutual understanding and trust, promoting mutual learning, jointly addressing shared challenges, and contributing to regional peace and stability.
The outcomes have been fruitful: ten YMCAs in China have formed partnerships or maintained exchanges with YMCAs in various Japanese cities; since 2004, the two sides have co-hosted nine China-Japan-Korea YMCA Peace Forums; Chinese YMCAs have participated in the Japan YMCA Global Citizenship Project five times; and in 2024, the YMCA will send youth representatives to the Hiroshima International Youth Peace Seminar for the first time.
