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Hong Kong-Japan Partnership moves to Osaka
Osaka, Japan's second largest city, was treated to a taste of Hong Kong that early morning shoppers may long remember the sight and sounds of a Hong Kong lion dance through one of the city's major department stores.
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The noisy and colourful ceremony marked the start of the Hong Kong-Japan Partnership promotion in Osaka. It was just one of the events in a day highlighted by consumer-oriented promotions and programmes coupled with intensive business seminars at which some of Hong Kong's leading businessmen are participating.
In officially opening the "Hello Hong Kong" promotion in the Sogo department store, the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, mentioned the dominant role Japanese companies played in Hong Kong's department store market.
"The fact that some of these companies have chosen to establish their Asian regional base in Hong Kong is another vote of confident in our future," she said.
Mrs Chan said Hong Kong made products were becoming increasingly attractive to Japanese consumers because of their good quality, attractive design and packaging, and their value for money - which was one of the most important factors for shoppers anywhere.
In addition to a whole range of products on sale, the promotion also features Chinese finger painting, rainbow calligraphy, fortune telling and chocolate carving.
The store promotion was arranged in conjunction with the Trade Development Council as a feature of the Hong Kong-Japan Partnership programme in Osaka.
The Chief Secretary also had a meeting with the Chairman of the influential Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, Mr Yoshihisa Akiyama.
During the discussions, Mr Akiyama indicated that the Kansai region wanted to further strengthen its business ties with Hong Kong following the establishment of a Business Partner relationship in 1988. He believed this partnership could be expanded with annual meetings between business executives from Kansai and Hong Kong, similar to an arrangement recently forged with Shanghai.
The Chief Secretary later gave a keynote address to more than 600 businessmen at a special luncheon at the conclusion of the seminar.