‘Solemnity of imperial visit to be paramount’

The visit of Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in late June will not be used to promote the Northern Marianas as a tourist destination, Marianas Visitors Authority David Sablan vowed yesterday.

“MVA would not do anything that would take advantage of Their Majesties’ visit. I would discourage anything that would even hint we’re using the emperor and empress to advance our cause for promoting the destination,” Sablan said. “We respect the purpose of their visit.”

Sablan’s statement came after the Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the largest dailies in Japan, issued a report on Monday saying that Saipan’s enthusiasm about the imperial couple’s visit contradicts the Japanese government’s intention to ensure the event is a solemn commemoration of the war dead.

“The government of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, of which Saipan is the capital, has wholeheartedly welcomed the official visit of the Emperor and Empress, taking it as an opportunity to make the islands better known to the world. There have been strong calls among the islanders for using the visit as a chance to attract more Japanese tourists,” a portion of the newspaper report read.

The report went on to mention the wide publicity received by the event from the local media, as well as the CNMI government’s plan to issue about 2,000 small Japanese flags for islanders to wave along the roads to welcome the imperial couple.

However, Sablan stressed yesterday that, with the U.S. Secret Service calling all the shots in matters regarding the emperor’s arrival, local officials actually have little opportunity to comment on what they believe should take place during the visit.

Nevertheless, he urged MVA management to ensure that the foreign media that will be arriving to cover the event receive sufficient information and assistance during their stay on island.

“We must be prepared to make constructive suggestions on what they can do while on island, rather than just letting them go around,” Sablan said.

MVA marketing specialist Glenda Calvo reported that six Japanese media networks, including NHK, TV Tokyo, Nippon TV, and Asahi TV, have now informed the tourism agency of their plan to come a week before the June 27 imperial visit.

Calvo said the MVA staff is now preparing kits for the international press that will include historical information on all the tourist sites on Saipan, Tinian and Rota; the biographies of Gov Juan N. Babauta and Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente; and general information about the Northern Marianas.

She added that the Governor’s Office would be working with the Marianas Public Lands Authority and Coastal Resources Management for the issuance of a blanket filming permit waiver to all foreign media coming for the visit.