Greater Manchester agrees landmark partnership with Osaka, Japan

Leaders from Greater Manchester have signed a new partnership deal with counterparts in Osaka, Japan, on the first day of a trade mission to the city.

The agreement follows on from a visit to Manchester by delegates from Japan earlier this year between the two cities, and will see closer collaboration between Greater Manchester and Osaka to deliver on net zero targets, promote trade and investment, and boost innovation and education links between universities. The deal is the first of its kind between a UK city-region and Japanese counterpart since the UK agreed a trade agreement with Japan in 2020.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation was signed by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and Mayor of Osaka, Hideyuki Yokoyama, at a special ceremony held on 4th December in Osaka.

The signing took place on the first day of a Greater Manchester mission to Japan aimed at strengthening bilateral ties in diplomacy, trade and investment, net zero and innovation, and culture and sport. Greater Manchester and Osaka will work on a joint plan for EXPO 2025, which is set to be hosted in the city. Japan’s third largest city, Osaka has long-standing ties with Manchester, dating back to the industrial revolution when Japanese students brought technology from Manchester’s cotton industry to the city and helped kick-start Japan’s own industrialisation in the late 19th Century.

Japan is one of Greater Manchester’s most important export partners, accounting for £99 million in goods exports in 2022, and £151 million of services (2021 figures), as well as being a major source of foreign direct investment into the UK. Japanese companies which already have a presence in Greater Manchester include Nippon Electric Glass, Kansai Electric Power Company, Hitachi Astemo, Daikin and Shimadzu. The new deal between the two cities is expected to boost trade by a further £15.7 billion over the next 14 years.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

“Greater Manchester’s links to Japan go back almost 200 years, when 19 students from Satsuma travelled to the North West to learn more about Britain’s industrial revolution. Their experiences at the Platt Brothers textile factories in Oldham helped spur their nation’s growth and prosperity, and Osaka’s own industrial transformation saw it hailed as the Manchester of the East.

“The partnership we’ve agreed today, as Greater Manchester embarks on a UK-first mission to Japan, is the culmination of that shared history and a sign of our shared vision for the future. It will unlock new opportunities for Greater Manchester and Osaka to benefit from trade and investment, create new links between our pioneering universities and research institutions, and boost crucial cooperation in net zero technologies to power sustainable growth.

“It will also give us a platform to work together towards EXPO 2025 in Osaka, placing Greater Manchester at the heart of the biggest international event of the decade.

“Our city-regions were united at the height of Britain’s industrial revolution – and this new partnership will help put us at the forefront of the next one.”

Mayor of Osaka, Hideyuki Yokoyama, said:

“We are truly delighted and honoured to have established this MoU, which covers a wide range of areas for cooperation.

“Efforts will be made to facilitate initiatives for zero carbon objectives, promote economic exchanges across various sectors, as well as support university-level collaborations moving forward.”

The Greater Manchester delegation, led by the Mayor and Greater Manchester Economy Lead and Leader of Manchester City Council, Cllr Bev Craig, is also joined by the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Japan, Greg Clark MP. The delegation also includes representatives of universities, businesses, and sporting ambassadors from Greater Manchester, who will engage with Japanese political leaders, trade officials, and businesses, with the aim of broadening and intensifying diplomatic, trade, and cultural connections. In addition to Mayor Yokoyama, the Mayor and Cllr Craig will meet with the Governor of Osaka and the Governor of Tokyo.