Japan 2025: Greater Manchester sets out plans to boost trade, investment and cultural connections

Distributed on behalf of the Greater Manchester Japan Steering Group

Greater Manchester is preparing to take its partnership with Japan to the next level in 2025, as the city region prepares for a series of major events, activities and visits to celebrate its historic ties with the country and boost trade, investment and tourism.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig and Jo Ahmed, Honorary Consul of Japan to Greater Manchester, are today (Tuesday 16 July) announcing plans to make Japan a key focus for broadening and deepening diplomatic, trade, cultural and civic ties through 2025.

The announcement follows Greater Manchester’s historic mission to Japan in December 2023, which saw the signing of a new partnership with the City of Osaka, and a return visit last month to the city-region by a senior delegation from the Japanese city of Osaka, including Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama.

As part of the deal signed last year, Greater Manchester will appear in EXPO 2025 Osaka. The city-region will partner with the Department for Business and Trade and the UK Pavilion, as well as the City of Osaka, to host a week-long series of events in June 2025 to engage with Japanese political leaders, business authorities and businesses – putting Greater Manchester centre stage at the biggest international event of the decade.

Then, in September 2025, Manchester will host Japan Week, an international cultural festival featuring hundreds of Japanese artists showcasing traditional Japanese culture. Organised by the International Friendship Foundation, Japan Week 2025 it will be a special 50^º anniversary of the event, which was held in major cities around the world, including Boston, Seville and Athens.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “2025 will be the year that Greater Manchester and Japan take our partnership to the next level. Our city region has a special connection with Japan that goes back centuries, but it is always looking to the future – focused on cooperation, innovation and growth that benefits our people and places.

“We’re ready to put Greater Manchester at the heart of the world’s biggest international event in Osaka next year, seizing new opportunities to drive trade, investment and tourism – and we’re excited to welcome the hundreds of artists and creators who make up Japan Week to our city region.”

Councillor Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, added: “Manchester is a diverse and welcoming city, enriched by our international communities. We are proud of our historic connections with Japan and look forward to developing new and renewed partnerships throughout 2025 at EXPO and Japan Week. Culture is a great way to foster mutual understanding between cities and countries, and I look forward to seeing this exchange happen both in Japan and here in Manchester.”

Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama added: “The delegation’s recent visit to Greater Manchester was incredibly significant. It provided a substantial opportunity for both city-regions to further promote exchanges. I am also delighted that Greater Manchester delegates will be visiting Osaka in June 2025 for the EXPO, and we sincerely look forward to welcoming them. Finally, I offer my sincere congratulations to Manchester for hosting the prestigious Japan Week. From Osaka, we wish you every success with your events throughout 2025.”

Jo Ahmed, Honorary Consul of Japan in Greater Manchester, added: “As Honorary Consul of Japan and Chair of the Manchester Japan Steering Group, it is fantastic to see the strength of the partnership that has developed between Greater Manchester and Japan across a range of areas, including business and innovation links, as well as through culture and sport. I am delighted that Greater Manchester will be participating in EXPO 2025 and hosting the 50th Japan Week here in Manchester, and I look forward to seeing the incalculable benefits these events will bring.”

Greater Manchester has a long-standing relationship with Japan, and specifically Osaka, dating back to the 19th century when a group of students from the Satsuma region travelled to the city-region to learn about the revolutionary industrial technology being used in the local cotton industry. This collaboration fuelled the industrial revolution taking place in the East and helped Osaka become known as the ‘Manchester of the East’.

More recently, the city-region’s engagement with Osaka included a partnership signed in December 2023, which committed both parties to closer collaboration and cooperation at the inter-city level, seeking to strengthen exchanges in areas of environmental policy and the delivery of net-zero emissions goals; foster economic opportunities and develop strong collaborative ties; and boost innovation and educational links between universities in both city-regions.

Japan is one of Greater Manchester’s most important economic partners. Greater Manchester exported £99 million worth of goods to Japan in 2022, and in 2021 the city-region’s services exports to Japan were valued at £151 million – placing Japan in Greater Manchester’s top 10 services export markets.

Japan is also a major market for foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK, consistently ranking in the top 15 source countries for FDI over the past three years. Japanese companies already established in Greater Manchester include Nippon Electric Glass, Kansai Electric Power Company, Hitachi Astemo, Daikin and Shimadzu.

The final dates, venues and full schedule for Greater Manchester’s presence at EXPO 2025 and Japan Week 2025 will be announced in the coming months.

Any Greater Manchester business or organisation wanting to get involved in any of the events can contact [email protected].