The 3rd "China-Japan International Cooperation Exchange on Elderly Care Industries," jointly hosted by the China Construction Materials Market Association and the Osaka Business Industry Conference in Japan, was held in Beijing on December 12.

Attendees of the China-Japan International Cooperation and Exchange Conference on Elderly Care Industries pose for a group photo. (Photos: Courtesy of Zhou Xu)

Themed "Accessibility, Care and Rehabilitation," the event saw members and representatives in attendance from the SASAC Building Materials Retirement Bureau, Peking University Institute of Gerontology, China Construction Design Group, Chengtong Human Resources Co., Ltd., China Overseas Economic Cooperation Co., Ltd., Contemporary Green Health Pension Industry Group, Beijing Jinyu Tiantan Furniture Co., Ltd., Ito Zhongshi Co., Ltd., Osaka International Economic Promotion Center and the Japan Trade Promotion Agency. Dozens of representatives of government agencies, enterprises, institutions and research institutes related to the elderly care industry in Japan also attended the event. It was organized by the National Construction Materials Exhibition and Trade Center and Beijing Anxin Industrial Investment Co., Ltd

Speaking at the meeting, Qu Jiaosheng, vice president and secretary-general of the China Construction Materials Market Association and director of the National Construction Materials Exhibition and Trade Center, expressed his appreciation and recognition for the cooperation in the fields of accessibility, mediation and rehabilitation that was jointly discussed by the Shigeki Industry Branch and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Qu pointed out that China and Japan are both dealing with rapidly aging populations. China-Japan cooperation can be described as "win-win." 

For China, Japan's rich experience and advanced practices are worthy of reference. For Japan, China's consumer market for elderly care is huge. He hoped that the industry will give full play to its own advantages, actively build information sharing platforms, resource integration platforms and cooperation and exchange platforms, as well as serve member organizations and help China and Japan's elderly enterprises better understand the Chinese market. 
Qu also hoped to jointly explore development paths, strengthen intellectual property protection, establish and promote industry standards, coordinate and maintain the order of the pension market, improve the overall industry, improve the pension market evaluation system, provide high-quality certification services, and promote the sound and healthy development of the pension industry in China.
"2018 marks China's 40 years of reform and opening-up and also 40 years of China-Japan friendship. In this context, it ushered in the first year of the second five years of China's pension industry. 
"In the speech, Mr E Junyu, president of the China Construction Materials Market Association's old industry branch and chairman of the elderly care investment company Anxin, expressed the hope that through this exchange meeting, the cooperation between China and Japan can be promoted.
Hiroyuki Fukano, chairman of the China Business Specialty Committee of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that "In the pension industry, smart retirement has received much attention. China is a big country of network intelligence, and it is also ahead of the world in AI and other aspects. Japan is 20 years ahead of China in terms of aging population and has accumulated a lot of experience in elderly care." As cooperation between China and Japan in the pension industry deepens, Mr. Fukano hopes that in the future, China and Japan will complement each other in the pension industry and move forward together.
The Director of the International Division of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms. Fujita, introduced the overview of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the business support activities of Japanese companies in China, the cooperation between Japan and China in the elderly industry, Japanese products and services for the elderly, and the possibility of cooperation between China and Japan.
Mr E Junyu, the founder and chairman of Beijing Anxin,  pointed out in a speech that the Japanese plan to deal with aging is of great value to China, and that aging adaptation and barrier-free construction are very important in creating an environment that is suitable for elderly people to live. Therefore, our communities and institutions need a process of aging adaptation. This is very similar to Japan's urban renewal as it struggles with aging.
In another speech, Mr. Nakajima, head of the Medical Welfare Appliances Development Office of Japan Hikaru Co., Ltd., detailed the serious risks of falling that the elderly face daily. In Japan, awareness programs, supplies and facilities have been important factors for creating safe living environments for the elderly. 
In the second half of the meeting, He Xuling, secretary general of the China Construction Materials Market Association, gave a presentation on Standardization of Elderly Care Services for the Healthy Development of China's Elderly Care Business. The report was divided into three parts: the development and status of the standardization of elderly care services in China, the development of the industry in China with reference to Japan's service standards, and the standardization of the industry by the China Construction Materials Market Association. The report systematically expounded on the necessity and urgency of establishing a standardized system for elderly care services in China, as well as the progress of the work and future plans made by the industry.
Wang Qing, a representative of the China-Japan Business Consulting Office, introduced her presentation, The Future of China-Japan Care and Rehabilitation Cooperation-The Connection of Information and Resources. 
Finally, participants discussed and exchanged views on the challenges and opportunities in the development of the elderly care health industry between China and Japan. The key topics included: in-depth analysis of demand in the Chinese pension market and discussion on the development opportunities between China and Japan's pension enterprises in China, the significance of Japanese endowment resources to the elderly care industry in China and the analysis of the status quo of Japanese endowment enterprises in China, as well as suggestions for development countermeasures.
Before the start of the meeting, members of the Japanese delegation also collectively visited the Anxin Home elderly care experience center.