SHANGHAI: A newly built ferry began its regular operations Saturday to link the Chinese city of Shanghai with Osaka and Kobe in western Japan.

The Jian Zhen Hao ferry, the third generation of such a regular ship, left Shanghai for Osaka on the day.

The ferry was named after Chinese Buddhist monk Jianzhen, known as Ganjin in Japan, who went to Japan in the eighth century to propagate Buddhism.

The first-generation ship went into service in 1985 as demand grew for passenger travel and freight transport between Japan and China. The second-generation ferry began its operations in 1994.

At present, only freight transport services are available because passenger transport services have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The passenger services are expected to be resumed around September this year.

“We hope that the new ferry will play its role as a bridge between the two countries” as its predecessors did, Shuichi Akamatsu, Japanese consul-general in Shanghai, said at a launch event for the new ferry.

JIJI Press