Chinese citizens living in Japan held their annual New Year Gala in central Tokyo on Saturday evening to usher in the Year of Dragon, or Loong.

The event was attended by around 1,000 guests, including Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao, and former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

"2024 is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. We're comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country through national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," Wu Jianghao, Chinese Ambassador to Japan addressed the gala.

"At the end of last year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Kishida held talks, and I'm happy to see signs that Japan-China relations are gradually improving. With the help of the overseas Chinese residing in Japan, gathered here today, I believe we will make this a possibility," Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese Prime Minister told the gala.

This is the fourth year the event has been held, as it also took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. But organizers say they've gone the extra mile this year, to demonstrate their hopes for a prosperous future.

"It took us longer to prepare this year. The event is the largest in terms of production costs and number of staff. We hired experienced directors to create a stage that will be popular among overseas Chinese. I hope they will feel the warmth of their homeland through this stage," said He Naihe, chairman of Union of Chinese Residing in Japan.

Around 300 performers, some invited from China and others based here in Japan, offered a feast of dance and music at the Saturday event.

The event was live streamed to 130 countries. Last year, over 30 million people are reported to have watched it online.