7 min readLast month, the Greater Manchester delegation embarked on their 2025 Mission to Japan, the largest recorded UK delegation to visit the country.
The mission, led by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council and Jo Ahmed MBE, Honorary Consul of Japan in Greater Manchester, aimed to strengthen diplomatic, business, cultural and civic links.
MIDAS’ Managing Director, Joe Manning, Rachel Eyre Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Low Carbon and Business Development Director, David Hilton, were part of the delegation visiting Tokyo and Osaka for EXPO 2025.
The five-day mission delivered significant outcomes, from signing historic agreements and establishing new partnerships to exploring opportunities in low-carbon technology and urban development.
Rachel Eyre, Head of Advanced Manufacturing & Low Carbon at MIDAS, said:
“Our week-long mission to Japan has been incredibly successful in strengthening the already solid foundations between Greater Manchester and Japan. The warm reception we received from Japanese businesses, political leaders and trade officials in both Tokyo and Osaka demonstrates the mutual enthusiasm for deepening our partnership.
“With over 25 Japanese businesses already choosing to invest in Greater Manchester and our exports to Japan totalling £250m annually, this mission has opened new doors for collaboration. Mizkan’s £17 million investment announcement during the week is an example of Japanese companies choosing Greater Manchester for their next investment opportunity.
“EXPO 2025 provided the perfect platform to showcase Greater Manchester's innovation and creativity to a global audience. The discussions we've had with potential investors and partners will help us attract even more Japanese businesses to our city-region, building on our shared values of innovation, cooperation and growth.
“We're now looking forward to welcoming Japanese companies to Manchester in September for Japan Week 2025, where we can continue to build on the momentum from this mission.”
Here are the highlights from the week-long mission:
Day 1
The delegation's first official engagement was a Courtesy Call with Vice Governor Matsumoto at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, building on connections formed during 2023's visit and reaffirming Greater Manchester's commitment to deeper cooperation with Tokyo in areas like leadership, innovation, and low-carbon development.
Building on this foundation, the GM–Japan Low Carbon Summit took place at Deloitte's Tokyo office. Mayor Andy Burnham presented Greater Manchester's strategic approach to decarbonisation, covering retrofit, the Bee Network, green skills through the MBacc and the city-region's long-term growth ambitions, while highlighting growing partnerships with Japanese companies.
Following the summit, Cllr Craig and Mayor Burnham met with senior leaders from Astemo Ltd. at the British Embassy in Tokyo. Astemo is a global mega-supplier in the automotive industry and is playing a significant role in the growing electric vehicle market.
Day 2
Continuing the focus on partnerships, a Cyber Roundtable at the British Embassy in Tokyo used Greater Manchester as a case study to highlight the development of a world-class cyber ecosystem. Mayor Andy Burnham and Cllr Bev Craig shared the region's ambition to grow a cyber workforce of 30,000 by 2035 through collaboration between the public sector, private sector and academia.
The delegation then travelled from Tokyo to Osaka, with visits including Kansai Electric Power FTS Pte Ltd Power Corporation (KEPCO), discussing investment opportunities in energy and net zero, and Graphene - The University of Manchester (GEIC) visiting Honda's R&D site in Utsonomiya to explore collaboration around advanced materials and innovation.
The delegation also visited the Expo 2025 Osaka site to meet with Daikin UK, a key sponsor of the mission. Building on the success of Greater Manchester's two-year Memorandum of Understanding with Daikin, which led to over 1,500 heat pumps being installed, a new five-year collaboration agreement was formalised. As part of this, Daikin will chair the new Greater Manchester Low Carbon Heating Industry Group to accelerate innovation and deployment of low-carbon heating technologies across the region, helping deliver the target of 64,000 low-carbon heating systems by 2030.
Day 3
The third day delivered a major milestone as MIDAS signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement with the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The agreement builds on over 200 years of shared industrial and educational history and sets the stage for stronger trade, innovation, and business exchange.
At Osaka City Hall, Mayor Andy Burnham and Mayor Yokoyama signed a Declaration of Agreement to begin the process of Manchester and Osaka becoming sister cities, marking a new chapter in the civic relationship and a shared commitment to international collaboration.
Meanwhile, Cllr Bev Craig and MIDAS met with the Japanese real estate company, Nomura, to discuss residential development opportunities in Greater Manchester and hear about their ethos around sustainable development. There are plans to meet again in Manchester during Japan Week in September.
The delegation then joined a business event hosted by OCCI and Osaka City Government. Greater Manchester's trade delegation connected with Osaka businesses, MIDAS presented the region's investment strengths, and a panel featuring leaders from the University of Manchester, Daikin UK, Sealip/ Vespiro, and Revo Energy explored future opportunities.
Mayor Burnham and Cllr Craig also visited Panasonic's pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. Panasonic, a key mission sponsor, recently signed an MoU to support Greater Manchester's hydrogen ambitions. The visit gave leaders a chance to learn more about Panasonic's HX solution and its potential role in accelerating clean energy efforts in the city region.
Day 4
The Manchester delegation took over the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka for Manchester Day, showcasing the region's leadership in innovation, research and culture. Under the theme 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives', Greater Manchester highlighted how the city-region is helping shape a better global future.
A VIP business event welcomed Japanese business leaders to explore investment and collaboration opportunities. The first panel, moderated by Jo Ahmed MBE, focused on Greater Manchester's net zero ambitions and featured leaders from Panasonic, Daikin UK, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Electricity North West. Together, they explored how partnerships with Japan are helping drive the low-carbon transition.
Cllr Bev Craig shared how Greater Manchester is building a thriving innovation ecosystem, backed by strong universities and a diverse economy. Joe Manning, Managing Director, followed with an overview of business strengths.
The second panel explored Manchester's global impact in materials and technologies, including 2D materials, biotech, AI and robotics. Experts from the University of Manchester and Osaka's business community discussed how academic and industry collaboration is unlocking new growth across both regions.
Mayor Andy Burnham closed the session with "If you think of the Manchester of the past, you'll think of smoke and chimneys. The city is now reborn, and a conscious decision was made to make a knowledge-focused, innovation-driven economy. We are at an exciting moment."
Day 5
The final day of the Greater Manchester 2025 mission and the day the Japan mission comes to a close after a hugely successful week.
The Manchester delegation took over the Osaka Pavilion with a second performance of BLOOM – Greater Manchester’s gift to Japan – this time available for view by the public visiting EXPO 2025.
This performance was an opportunity to share the relationship between our regions on the global stage. As the only UK city-region that has created a dedicated cultural performance for Osaka, it was an opportunity to celebrate our friendship and show our commitment to further collaboration.
The mission's highlights included Mizkan Euro Ltd's £17m investment in Rochdale, steps toward a sister city agreement with Osaka and an MOA signed between MIDAS and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce, with more to come in the months ahead.
