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Busan Metropolitan City and Consul-General of Japan in Busan Agree to Expand Busan–Japan Exchanges

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that Mayor Chun Jae-soo met with Tsuyoshi Otsuka, Consul-General of Japan in Busan, at 10:30 a.m. on September 23 in the International Protocol Room of Busan City Hall and discussed ways to expand friendly exchanges and cooperation between Busan and Japan.

Mayor Chun first welcomed the Consul-General, saying, “I am very pleased to meet you,” and added, “Busan and Japan are not only geographically close but also close neighbors that have maintained people-to-people and cultural exchanges over many years.”

Busan continues to engage with Japanese local governments in a wide range of fields, maintaining sister-city relationships with Shimonoseki and Fukuoka and friendly cooperation city relationships with Osaka and Nagasaki Prefecture.

Consul-General Otsuka responded, “I sincerely congratulate Mayor Chun Jae-soo on taking office,” adding, “I hope friendly exchanges and cooperation between Busan and Japan will become even more active in the years ahead.”

The two sides also exchanged views on ways to further promote tourism and private-sector exchanges between Busan and Japan.

Mayor Chun noted positively that approximately 340,000 Japanese tourists had visited Busan as of July this year, 2026, and said, “It is important to steadily continue exchanges between local governments and between citizens. We will further promote private-sector exchanges in areas such as tourism and culture and continue developing relations between Busan and Japan.”

Expressing agreement with Mayor Chun, Consul-General Otsuka said, “To attract more Japanese tourists, it is important to increase the number of repeat visitors and to introduce new attractions by making use of Busan’s diverse local tourism resources.”

The two sides then exchanged views on future areas of cooperation, including maritime affairs and the Arctic shipping route.

Mayor Chun presented Busan’s vision of becoming the Republic of Korea’s substantive maritime capital by building on the city’s strengths in maritime affairs, ports, and logistics, and emphasized that the Arctic shipping route could provide a new growth opportunity for Busan.

Consul-General Otsuka noted that Japan has also maintained a continuing interest in the Arctic shipping route, and the two sides exchanged views on the potential for cooperation between Busan and Japan in maritime affairs, ports, and logistics.

Concluding the meeting, Mayor Chun said, “Busan aims to grow into a central city leading the development of southern Korea,” adding, “I hope Busan and Japan will expand cooperation across a wide range of fields, including tourism, culture, maritime affairs, ports, and logistics, based on exchanges between local governments and citizens, and achieve tangible results.”