SAVE THE DATE
Our Shared Struggles
An East Asia Labor Exhibition & Exchange
October 3-11, 2025
Tokyo, Japan at Sophia University
How are our labor struggles in East Asia connected by our histories? To what extent do we – in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan – share similar aspirations and goals? How should we reflect on our experiences of labor organizing and movement building? Is there a hope for a better world beyond neoliberal capitalism?
The East Asia Labor Exhibition and Exchange will be held at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan from October 3-11, 2025, highlighting the stories of workers in historical and contemporary struggles in East Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China).
You may join for any or all days during this 10-day period. All labor activists and allies are welcome, regardless of your country of origin or current residency. The Exhibition will remain open the entire time, but workshops, panels and films will be concentrated from October 3-7.
The Exhibition and Exchange subverts the traditional conference format, and embraces a democratic and horizontalist form of learning and interaction, enabling both structured conversations as well as chance encounters.
The EXHIBITION places an emphasis on our histories in East Asia, connected by successive waves of industrialization and deindustrialization, the movement of capital and making and unmaking of working classes, since the Second World War, first in Japan, followed by Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. The exhibition will also feature stories of contemporary and ongoing struggles, in particular, in the informal sectors, as curated by participating organizations;
The EXCHANGE will feature a program of public talks, small-group thematic discussions, documentary and film screening, music and art performances relating to labor in Asia and beyond.
The event has been co-organized by a consortium of individuals and organizations from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, China and the US. The supporting organizations, including Sophia University Institute of Global Concern, Taiwan International Workers’ Association, Labor Notes, Taiwan Dispatched Workers Union, Asia Labour Review, and other individuals have co-designed the exhibition, bringing materials and stories from all over East Asia.
Contact: If you have any questions, lease contact us at: eastasialabor@proton.me
Registration is free. To register and receive additional exhibition and exchange program information as the time approaches: https://tinyurl.com/eastasialabor2025
Travel & lodging: Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging.
