Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama and President of Osaka City Council Takashi Takeshita on Dec 4.

Gong said that China and Japan are close neighbors separated by a strip of water.

Shanghai and Osaka have maintained close ties and enduring friendship, he added. Since becoming friendship cities in 1974, the two have engaged in extensive and pragmatic cooperation in areas such as commerce and trade, finance, ports, and urban development.

Gong highlighted opportunities for cooperation through China's visa-free policy to Japan and encouraged shared learning in urban governance to seek partnerships in trade, culture, and youth.

Yokoyama emphasized that both cities share similar experiences in economic development because they are economic centers and important port cities for the two countries, noting the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the friendship-city relationship.

The World Expo 2025 is to be held in Osaka next year. Yokoyama expressed his hope for deeper cooperation with Shanghai in the fields of financial technology and the health industry, adding that both sides could bolster information exchanges on shared concerns, like the aging population, to promote longer and healthier lifespans.