| SPEAKER PROFILES |
Prof. Hans van GINKEL  Rector, United Nations University
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Prof. Dr. Hans van Ginkel is the Rector of the United Nations University, Tokyo, since September 1997. From 1968 to 1985, he worked at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, in the Faculty of Geographical Sciences, and later as the University's Rector from 1986 to 1997. He also serves as a member and officer in several professional associations and organizations such as vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT, Bangkok) and member of the Academia Europaea. He holds a Ph.D. cum laude in Social Sciences from Utrecht University. He has published on geography and other wide variety of areas. |
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Mr. Juan SOMAVIA Director-General, ILO
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Mr. Somavia, a national of Chile, has been Director-General of the International Labour Office since March 1999. He held senior Government posts between 1968-1973 and has had a distinguished diplomatic career. In March 1990 he was appointed Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations where he served as president/chairperson of a number of UN bodies including ECOSOC and the Security Council. His experience also spans the private sector and the academic world and he has been active in various non governmental organizations. The hallmark of his career has been a strong concern for social development, peace and democracy. He continues to pursue these goals through his vision of decent work for all in the global economy. His work has earned him several citations and awards. |
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Mr. Taizo NISHIMURO Member, World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization; Chairman of the Board, Toshiba Corporation
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Mr. Taizo Nishimuro was born in 1935. After graduating from Keio University (Faculty of Economics), he joined Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd. (today's Toshiba Corporation) in 1961. After serving as the general manager of the International Operations-Electronic Components, the Semiconductor Marketing Division, and the Overseas Operations Promotion Division, he successively assumed the posts of Vice Chairman of Toshiba America, Inc. (concurrently Director of Toshiba Corporation) and Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President of Toshiba Corporation. He took over as President and Chief Executive Officer in 1996 and as Chairman of the Board in 2000, the post he currently holds. He is also active as a member and a trustee of various organizations outside Toshiba.
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Ms. Halimah YACOB Assistant Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress, Singapore
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Mdm. Halimah Yacob earned a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from the University of Singapore in 1978. She has been an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court since 1981 and obtained a Master of Laws degree from the National University of Singapore in 2001. She was elected as a Member of the Parliament of Singapore during the General Elections in November 2001. She is a Deputy Member of the Workers' Group of the ILO Governing Body and serves as a member of the Feedback Unit Supervisory Panel, the Housing and Development Board, the Nanyang Polytechnic Board of Governors, the Economic Development Board, the National Environment Agency, the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents, and the Inter Ministerial Committee on Aging. She is a trustee of several labour unions. |
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Dr. Young-vae KIM Vice-Chairman, Korean Employers Federation
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Dr. KIM Young-vae obtained a bachelor's degree in economics from Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea, in 1979 and doctor's degrees in economics from the University of Georgia in the U.S. in 1986.
He joined the Korea Employers Federation in 1987 as a director of the Research Department. He served as the managing director from 1996 and as the senior managing director from 2001. He is currently serving as the vice-chairman & CEO at KEF.
He currently holds an additional post as a professor at Chung-Ang University in Seoul. He is also an executive director of the National Pension Corporation and a member of the Tripartite Committee, the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Council, and the Vocational Training Council. |
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Prof. Yoshio HIGUCHI Keio University, Department of Business and Commerce
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Professor Yoshio Higuchi was born in 1952. He graduated from Keio University (Faculty of Business and Commerce) in 1975 and completed the doctoral program of Keio University Graduate School of Business and Commerce in 1980. He was a visiting researcher at Columbia University (Department of Economics) before assuming the current post in 1991. In the same year, he was awarded a doctorate in commercial science. Later, he served as a visiting professor at Hitotsubashi University's Institute of Economic Research, a visiting researcher at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and a visiting professor at The Ohio State University. He currently serves as a member of the MHLW's Labour Policy Council and as chairperson of the council's discussion group on labor demand and supply systems. |
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Prof. Kazuo TAKAHASHI International Christian University; Visiting Professor, United Nations University
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Professor Kazuo Takahashi graduated from International Christian University (Division of International Studies and Division of Public Administration) and completed a doctoral program at Columbia University. He worked for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development before assuming the current post in 2001. He also serves as a visiting professor at the United Nations University and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. He is President of the Society of Researchers of International Development, a member of the Governing Board of the Society for International Development, and a member of the Board of the International Development Center of Japan. |
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Ms. Jane STEWART Officer-in-Charge of the Employment Sector / Director of the Skills and Employability Department, ILO
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Joined the ILO in May of 2004 as Director of the Skills and Employability Department, having participated in elected politics in Canada for a decade. She was a member of Cabinet for eight years and led three ministries including Revenue, Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Human Resources Development. The Department of Labour was part of the Ministry of Human Resources Development. Ms. Stewart co-chaired Canada's Innovation Strategy with the Minister of Industry and was Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Policy.
She also has the responsibility for coordinating youth employment work of the Employment Sector, and has been Officer-in-Charge of the Employment Sector since 1 October 2004. |
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Mr. Nobuaki KOGA President, Japanese Electrical, Electronic and Information Union; Vice President, JTUC-RENGO
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Mr. Nobuaki Koga was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan in 1952. After graduating from the University of Miyagi (Faculty of Engineering) in 1975, he joined Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and became a member of Matsushita Electric Industrial Workers Union (MEU). After assuming the post of chairman of MEUÕs central executive committee in 1996, he became chairman of the central executive committee of the Japanese Electrical, Electronic and Information Union in 2002. Since September 2004, he has been concurrently serving as President of the Executive Board of the Japan Council of MetalworkersÕ Union (IMF-JC). He holds other external posts including those of Vice President of JTUC-RENGO and Director of Zenrosai Kyokai. He is a member of the MHLWÕs Labour Policy Council. |
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Mr. Takeo KATO Adviser, Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.
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Mr. Takeo Kato was born in Tokyo in 1938. After graduating from the University of Tokyo (Faculty of Law) in 1961, he joined Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (todayÕs Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.). After serving as the general manager of the Corporate Planning Department and the Personnel Department, he was appointed Director in 1988, Executive Vice President and Representative Director in 1998, and Chairman and Director in 2000 before assuming the current post of Adviser in June this year. He is also the Co-Chairman of Nippon KeidanrenÕs Committee on Labor-Management Relations, a member of Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Chairperson, Committee for Promotion on Interaction Between School and Corporate Executives), and Chairman of the Board and Principal of Kaisei Academy. |
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Prof. Yuji GENDA Associate Professor, University of Tokyo
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Professor Yuji Genda was born in 1964. He graduated from the University of Tokyo (Faculty of Economics) in 1988.
He was a Full-Time Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor at Gakushuin University (Faculty of Economics) before assuming the current post in 2002. He has a doctorate in economics.
He has authored numerous publications including Shigoto no Nakano Aimaina Fuan (Vague Anxiety in Work) and Job Creation. Shigoto no Nakano Aimaina Fuan was awarded the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities and the Nikkei Economic Book Prize. Job Creation won the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and TrainingÕs prize for outstanding labor-related books. |
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Prof. Koichiro IMANO Faculty of Economics, Gakushuin University
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Professor Koichiro Imano graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Faculty of Science and Engineering) in 1971 and earned a master's degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology Graduate School of Science and Engineering in 1973. He was assistant at Kanagawa University (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management) and lecturer and then associate professor at Tokyo Gakugei University (Faculty of Education) before taking up his current post in April 1992. He also works actively as chairman of Smaller Enterprise Retire-ment Allowance Mutual Aid Council, research fellow at the University of Sussex, member of the Central Vocational Ability Council, and researcher at Tokyo Metropolitan Research Institute of Labor. He is member of the Central Minimum Wages Council. |
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Ms. ZHANG Libin Research fellow, Institute for Labor Studies, MOLSS, P.R.C.
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Dr. Zhang Libin was awarded Ph.D. in Labor Economics in 1998.
She has more than ten years' study and research experience in the field of labor economics and labor policies, and has implemented nearly 30 important national and international research programs either as a principal or key member. As a Chinese expert, she has participated in cooperative research projects with the World Bank and ILO. These researches cover the following issues: macro economy and employment, globalization and employment, vocational training effects, youth employment issues, industrial relations, etc.
Many of her articles and papers have appeared in the Economic Daily and other newspapers. |
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Prof. Yasuo SUWA Hosei School of Policy Sciences
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Professor Yasuo Suwa was born in Tokyo in 1947. He graduated from Hitotsubashi University (Faculty of Law) in 1970. He studied at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Legal and Political Studies (Doctoral Program) and at the University of Bologna as the Italian Government scholarship student. He was a visiting researcher at the University of New South Wales, a visiting professor at the University of Bologna, and a professor at Hosei University (Faculty of Social Sciences) before assuming the current post this year. He is also a public member of the Labour Policy Council of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. He is the author of Koyo to Ho (Employment and Law), Roshi Communication to Ho (Labor-Management Communication and Law), among many others. |
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