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Japan consulate mum on imperial visit
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Posted on Apr 12 2005
The Consular Office of Japan on Saipan is keeping mum on the reported visit of Japan’s Imperial Couple to the Commonwealth in June.
“At this moment, we have no official information on the Emperor’s visit,” said Consul Takeo Saito yesterday. He refused to elaborate, saying he did not want to release any misleading information.
In a separate interview, Marianas Visitors Authority chair David Sablan said he has also received reports about the proposed visit by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to Saipan ahead of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II this year.
He said that based on unconfirmed information he gathered, the visit is being tentatively scheduled for June 27.
Sablan stressed the significance of having the Imperial Couple come to the CNMI, especially at this time when arrivals from Japan are dwindling.
“We’re all excited about his visit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event and the CNMI should do everything possible to give a grand welcome for the Emperor,” Sablan said. “We are in the midst of trying to increase arrivals out of Japan. More than ever, we should take advantage of this because the media exposure is going to be great.”
The Mainichi Shinbun, a daily newspaper in Japan, reported on Saturday that the U.S. government had told Japan that it welcomed a proposed visit by the Emperor and Empress to Saipan in the latter half of June.
Mainichi also said that after receiving official agreement on the visit from the federal government, the Japanese government sent an advance group to Saipan last Thursday and Friday.
The advance team of five people, including representatives of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau, reportedly visited a war memorial that the Japanese government erected on Saipan in 1974.
According to Mainichi, Japan entered into negotiations with U.S. officials over the trip in February after receiving a strong request from the Emperor and Empress. The United States, it added, conveyed its approval to Japanese Embassy officials at the beginning of this month.
The visit, Mainichi recalled, had originally been scheduled for March, but it was put off because it clashed with a visit to Japan by foreign leaders.
