OSAKA,March 27 (Xinhua) -- 2012 Shandong Fair Merchandise Fair opened in Osaka, western Japan Tuesday, with more than 140 firms from the Chinese province attending the event.

　　The three-day exhibition, held in "MyDome Osaka," a popular exhibition facility in central Osaka, is organized by the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province in cooperation with Japan-China Economic Relations and Trade Center and Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

　　This year's event offers the largest display since 1994, with an area 3,836 square meters and a staff of 300 in 166 booths.

　　Lu Wei, head of the Shangdong delegation told a press conference that all participants at the fair, including some 30 new comers, would wish more local buyers to join this year's event after last year's fair was canceled because of the great earthquake and tsunami.

　　"Despite the recent surge of oil and cotton prices, which is affecting manufactures in the province, our sales in Japan are increasing steadily. Our displayers try to focus more on quality- based products this time to attract more local customers," he said.

　　In 2011, Shandong Province's total trade value with Japan reached 24.83 billion U.S. dollars, up 18.4 percent from the previous year, according to statistics.