SHANGHAI (Kyodo) The number of Japanese companies operating in Shanghai rose 7.5 percent to 8,155 at the end of 2010 from a year earlier, officials at the Japanese Consulate General here said Tuesday.

The number signifies a mild recovery in the firms' willingness to advance into the Chinese market, as it rose only 5.0 percent in 2009 against the backdrop of the 2008 global financial crisis.