IPM Highlights international collaboration during Japan Week
Japan Week in Manchester (4–11 September 2025) opened yesterday, celebrating the city’s growing cultural, business, and academic connections with Japan.
Today, Manchester Metropolitan University is welcoming the Japanese Ambassador and delegation, who are touring the University’s Institute of Sport and Fuel Cell Innovation Centre. Later, in the Council Chambers, the official sister cities agreement between Osaka and Greater Manchester will be signed, alongside a new letter of intent between Manchester Met and Osaka Metropolitan University to expand the remit of their existing Memorandum of Understanding.
For the Institute of Place Management (IPM), these celebrations provide a chance to reflect on earlier work that has strengthen links between towns in the UK and Japan. In November 2024, Professor of Place Management, Cathy Parker MBE chaired the OECD Re-Imagining Town Centres webinar, co-hosted with the Japanese Centre for Local Government. The event attracted over 400 participants worldwide and explored how towns and cities in Japan and the UK are revitalising their centres.
Case studies featured included:
- Numazu City’s Takamatsu Project, transforming a former shopping arcade into a community hub.
- Paisley’s cultural-led regeneration, anchoring long-term investment in heritage and housing.
- Tatsuno Town’s “network of interesting people”, mobilising local leaders as the drivers of change.
- Barnsley’s reinvention, creating a family-friendly town centre rooted in community needs.
Professor Parker highlighted how IPM’s 4Rs framework provides a shared language for analysing and comparing different approaches: “While Japan and the UK face different pressures, the shared principles of community engagement, strong vision, and collaboration create opportunities for mutual learning.”
As Manchester and Osaka deepen their partnership through Japan Week, IPM will continue to play its part in fostering cross-cultural collaboration. By applying frameworks like the 4Rs and learning from international examples, we can ensure that the lessons from Japan, the UK, and beyond contribute to building more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable places.
The OECD event, Re-Imagining Town Centres: Local Lessons from Japan and the UK, brought together experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities of town centre regeneration. For more details, visit the official event page: OECD - Re-Imagining Town Centres.
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.