China Postal Airlines on Tuesday launched a direct cargo and mail flight between Osaka in Japan and the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu, a famous marketplace for small commodities.

The air route, operated by a Boeing 737 aircraft, is the first cargo and mail flight service between Yiwu in Zhejiang Province and a Japanese city.

Five round trips are scheduled every week from Tuesday to Saturday.

The Zhejiang subsidiary of China Post Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Yiwu municipal government in May to launch cargo and mail flights between the city and key countries and regions and to support the construction of Yiwu's cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone.

Dubbed the "world's supermarket," Yiwu has attracted a growing number of foreigners in recent years. Official data showed more than 400,000 foreigners come to the city to do business every year.