Third Stop:

Osaka, Japan

In 1995, the third APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held in Osaka, Japan. The meeting adopted the Osaka Action Agenda, designating trade and investment liberalization and facilitation alongside economic and technical cooperation as APEC’s two main priorities. The agenda required APEC members to formulate individual and collective action plans to advance regional trade and investment liberalization.

Osaka, in southwestern Honshu, is a vibrant city of over 3 million. Crisscrossed by rivers and canals, it is nicknamed the “City of Water” and the “City of 808 Bridges.” A commercial center since the mid-19th century, it remains western Japan’s financial and industrial hub and an internationally recognized metropolis, known for Tsutenkaku Tower, Dotonbori, and Osaka Castle. In July 2010, Osaka and Shenzhen established a sister-city relationship.