Blog: Exploring Greater Manchester’s special relationship with Japan

Greater Manchester has strong historical ties with Japan that date back to the 19th century and are based around the sharing of knowledge and innovation; something that the regions continue to this day, forming the basis of a special relationship.

With similar industrial focuses and complementary strengths, the regions have formed a strong partnership and have proven that collaboration can bring rewards on both sides of the world.

Japan remains one of Greater Manchester’s most important economic partners and a major market for foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK.

As we prepare to further strengthen this relationship in 2025, here is a look back on the relationship between the two regions:

FROM THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

It all began in 1865 when 19 young men left Satsuma (now Kagoshima prefecture) in Western Japan, on a mission to learn more about industry in the UK.

Three of the students (Godai Tomoatsu, Hisonobu Niiro and Munenori Terashima and their interpreter, Takayuki Hori) travelled north to Manchester and Oldham, which was at the forefront of industrialised textile spinning at the time.

The students’ mission was to gather as much knowledge as possible before returning to Japan. They spent time at Oldham’s Platt Brothers, which was one of the largest textile companies in the world, before purchasing textile machinery from the organisation to take back to Japan with them.

In 1866, a group of engineers from Platt Brothers, Oldham, made the return trip to Satsuma to assist with the setting up of the first industrial spinning factory in Japan. These engineers spent a year in Japan, helping to build the country’s first industrialised spinning mill and train its workers. Kagoshima Mill in Satsuma opened in 1867 and is widely regarded as the beginning of the Japanese Industrial Revolution.

One of these students, Godai Tomoatsu, also used his time in the UK to visit the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, which inspired him to create the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Osaka Chamber of Commerce initiated an industrial boom in Osaka; supporting the construction of Osaka Harbour and attracting a huge amount of industry to the region. Godai’s learnings in Greater Manchester helped Godai grow Osaka’s economy and transform it into a modern industrial city.

From 1869, the focus of textile operations in Japan was moved to Osaka, with Platt Brothers supplying thousands of spinning machines to what became known as “the Manchester of the Orient” and nowadays “the Manchester of the East”.

For the following 100 years, travel between workers from Platt Brothers in Oldham and Japan became a regular occurrence. Current Oldham residents still remember relatives making these trips up until the 1970s.

If you have a family member who travelled to Japan for work with Platt Brothers in the late 1800s and 1900s, we’d love to hear any stories that have been passed down or even see objects that were brought back – please contact Rebecca.Hill@oldham.gov.uk to share.

TO THE PRESENT DAY

Today, the relationship between the UK and Japan is stronger than it has ever been, thanks to the commitment from the politicians and the leaders from both countries to continue to strengthen the bilateral collaboration.

As the third largest economy in the world, the Greater Manchester International Strategy recognises the importance of Japan as a priority market to the UK.

Many Japanese companies have established a strong base in Greater Manchester including Daikin, Brother, Fujitsu, Dentsu, Sharp and Mizkan. These companies are helping to support Greater Manchester’s growth journey.

Not only are they investing in the region and creating jobs, but many like Daikin and Panasonic are helping to drive innovation by working collaboratively with academics, other organisations and local authorities to pioneer change and accelerate net-zero ambitions.

With shared values, complementary sector strengths and mutual innovation assets, Greater Manchester has the potential to become one of the most important strategic city-region partners of Japan in Europe, leading the way in innovation towards a fairer, greener and more inclusive society.

With this in mind, the Greater Manchester Japan Steering Group was formed in 2021. Since then, there have been several visits and exchanges between GM and Osaka businesses and institutions, including the GM-Japan Mission to Osaka/Tokyo in December 2023 and the visit of Mayor Yokoyama to Manchester in June 2024.

During the GM-Japan Mission in December 2023, GMCA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Osaka, to strengthen innovation and economic links and cooperation.

The agreement 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 in both city-regions

As part of the agreement, there is a commitment to return to Osaka and participate in World EXPO 2025, which is where we found ourselves today, counting down to the main event.

A delegation from Greater Manchester will visit Japan for a week-long mission engaging with political leaders, trade officials, and Japanese businesses, and putting Greater Manchester centre-stage at one of the biggest international events of the decade.

EXPO 2025 will be an opportunity to further affirm Greater Manchester’s relationship with Osaka and will feature a special performance, BLOOM which is Manchester’s gift to the region of Osaka.

Learn more about Greater Manchester’s plans for EXPO 2025 here.

JAPAN WEEK 2025

Greater Manchester’s relationship with Japan will be further developed later in the year when an international cultural festival featuring hundreds of Japanese performers arrives in Manchester.

Japan Week 2025 will take place in September 2025 and Manchester edition will be the 50th anniversary of the event. It will see events such as traditional tea ceremonies and music performances taking place at venues across the city of Manchester, including Central Library, HOME, and Manchester Museum, amongst others. BLOOM will also feature in programme, making its UK premiere as part of the opening ceremony.

Learn more about Japan Week here.

Image credit:

Portrait of Godai Tomoatsu (1836 – 1885) (top left, public domain)

A power loom driven by a water wheel at Platt Brothers & Co Ltd Hartford Works, Oldham (top right, public domain)