The Osaka Prefectural Government has entered into friendship tie-ups with many regions centered mostly in the Asia-Pacific region, including Shanghai in China (November 21, 1980), East Java in Indonesia (November 26, 1984), Val d'Oise in France (July 21, 1987), Queensland in Australia (May 4, 1988), the Primorsky area of Russia (December 8, 1992), California in the USA (November 15, 1994), Lombardia in Italy (July 9, 2002), Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (October 29, 2002), Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam (October 25, 2007), and Jiangsu Province in China, and we is currently forging ahead with exchange programs in a variety of fields, such as industry, agriculture, medicine, sports, culture and youth education.

The cities, towns and villages located within Osaka are also actively forging ahead with sister city tie-ups with various overseas cities, and a wide range of exchange programs are currently underway with a total of 71 cities located in 19 nations of the world (as of August 2008, including Osaka's friendship tie-ups.)

The Osaka Prefectural Government and the International Business Organization of Osaka, Inc. (IBO) have set up overseas office in Shanghai. This office is involved in gathering and providing a variety of information on trade and investment required by Osaka-based corporations, as well as implementing market surveys, offering liaison services for business transactions, and carrying out promotion activities to attract overseas corporations and tourists to the Osaka region.

The Osaka Prefectural Government has also set up Osaka Promotion Desks in the Liaoning Province of China, South China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Thailand and North America. These desks provide support for Osaka-based companies wishing to enter the markets in which each desk is located (trade consultations and business matching, etc.,) as well as distributing information on Osaka's tourist locations, business opportunities and other aspects.