By Rui Hu, video/photo by Deng Zhang, iChongqing News

Chongqing - From May 19 to May 26, 2019, the Chongqing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries led the team of 27 outstanding students from 6 universities in Chongqing as part of the starting group (150 in total). They completed the trip to Japan. The 2019 Chinese University Student Visiting Japan Group Exchange Program was held in the Japan-China Afforestation International Cooperation. On June 10, at the invitation of the Japanese Consulate General in Chongqing, iChongqing interviewed three university students who visited Japan to learn what they experienced in Japan and the knowledge sharing of environmental protection, disaster prevention in their professional field.

From left to right: Zheng Wang, Yan Cheng, Nobuyuki Watanabe, and Haojie Ding

This year`s theme of cultural exchange is environmental protection and disaster prevention. Haojie Ding, a graduate year one student from Chongqing University, told us that he was impressed by the Japanese`s detailed garbage classification in their environmental system. “We visited Japan Western Energy Centre. I learned that they supplied the electricity for neighbors by incineration of waste and sold the steam from it to the sewage treatment plant. I was impressed by the green and clean surroundings of the center and their technique”, Ding said. “I also had a lecture at ‎Kanazawa University. Their professor from environment major gave me a lesson, which related to my professional filed about heavy metal detection. It was significant to know that their university students are so hardworking and live in a different lifestyle compared with us,”, Ding added.

Zheng Wang, a student from Southwest University of Political Science and Law, indicated in the disaster prevention filed, Japan has the upper design of architecture and the officer`s responsibility division after the earthquakes; besides, Japan also has fundamental citizens` disaster prevention awareness. Therefore, Japan could minimize the damage caused by earthquakes and disasters. Yan Cheng, a student from Southwest University, pointed out that she learned a lot when they visited Tokyo Midtown. “The infrastructure of the Tokyo Midtown uses the water cycle to cool down and reduce the urban heat island effects. It is a very good demonstration of environmental protection,” she said.

Zheng Wang (left) and Nobuyuki Watanabe (right）

Last year, the leaders of China and Japan exchanged visits. Kaori Kōno，the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Yi Wang, the State Councilor and Foreign Minister, signed the Memorandum on Strengthening Youth Exchanges between the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China. The two sides designated 2019 as the "Japan-China Youth Exchange Promotion Year" and agreed to implement the 30,000 youth exchange in the next five years. "The first visit of this delegation was very meaningful, and the exchange of young people is for the future friendly relationship between China and Japan. They are all good students in Chongqing's good schools. Students like them are going to experience Japanese life personally. There are definitely many things that can be learned and absorbed. In the future, many Japanese delegations will visit China, and I believe that they will have the same experience. Through such exchanges, I hope to enhance mutual understanding between the young people of the two countries. Therefore, this activity is very meaningful. I also feel that this visit was very successful", said Nobuyuki Watanabe, Consul General of Japan in Chongqing.

From 2016 onwards, the "Japan-China Afforestation International Cooperation Project" is a foreign youth entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and invited by the Japan-China Friendship Association to visit Japan, and arranges a one-week visit to Japan. Disaster prevention policy-related seminars, corporate visits, and tree planting activities to enhance the environment and disaster prevention awareness of the invitees and further enhance their understanding of Japan. As a part of the Japan-China Youth Exchange Promotion Year, this event plans to invite a number of delegations from China in 2019, and a total of about 2,000 participants.