Group urges stringent preps for imperial visit

A local group of Japanese businessmen on the island is urging the CNMI government to take advantage of the upcoming visit of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to promote the safety and charm of the CNMI by rigorously preparing for the event.

The Japanese Business Executive Committee said that, if the emperor has a safe and enjoyable trip, many Japanese citizens will naturally be enticed to visit Saipan.

“It is absolutely essential that the CNMI government, the involved U.S. federal government agencies and Japan security personnel highlight and protect the safety of this important guest for the sake of international relations and tourism marketing strategies,” said the group in a statement.

The media personnel that will accompany the couple is expected to reach over 100, comprising TV, newspapers, radios, magazines, etc. The group said the Saipan visit is good timing for the local tourism industry, which is registering declines in the number of Japanese visitors for the past few months.

The organization is headed by Pacific Development Inc. president Joji Kawajuchi, who is chair of the group’s board of directors.

The group also recommended that the CNMI government take advantage of this opportunity by “preparing professionally” for this historical visit.

“Professional press kits should be handed-out to all the media accompanying the emperor. The tourist sites that the emperor will be visiting should be immaculately manicured and flowering local plants should be displayed.

“Another important suggestion…is perhaps have the school children and local people line up the roads where the…visitors will pass, waving the three different flags, such as, CNMI, U.S., and the Japanese flags,” it said.

The Japanese imperial couple’s visit to Saipan has been scheduled on June 27.

The group describes the visit as a milestone in the history of the CNMI. “The visit also signifies that indeed our destination is a safe place for Japanese travelers who are extremely conscious for their safety while visiting a destination. Japan will not send its top national leaders if Saipan is not safe. It is therefore important for our tourism industry to be prepared for this visit since Japan is the major tourism market for the CNMI attributing to over 70 percent of our market share.”

The visit will mark the first time in which a member of the royal family will visit the shores of the CNMI publicly. It is rumored that a member of the Luxembourg royal family visited the islands on a private, secret trip, using a private jet in the early ‘80s.

The rest of the group’s statement said: “During the pre-war days, the Japanese revered the members of the Emperor’s family in similar fashion as the Christian’s worship their gods. The present day, modern Japanese, although they don’t practice that level of worship, still portrays their deep respect for the Royal Family. As a result, a great number of media group are always covering the lives of the Royal Family, especially on trips when they go abroad as evidenced by the recent trip of the Emperor and Empress to Belgium in Europe.

“The curiosity of the Japanese public is very high in the reading or in seeing TV coverage of the emperor’s activities. You rarely see a week past by in the newspapers in Japan without a coverage on the life or travels of the members of the royal family.

“The Emperor will visit the memorial sites for the Japanese soldiers that died for their country during World War II. On many public occasions, both U.S. and CNMI leaders have echoed the need and importance of having a strong bond between U.S., Japan and also CNMI. This visit will give the opportunity to effectuate and materialize such strong friendship desire. The emperor has lots of friends in the business sectors and still has influence in business. Perhaps, if properly and professionally done, the CNMI can convince him to entice the Japanese investors to come to our islands or refrain from moving away from here.

“Although the visit will be only for one day, its impact will be felt for years and generations and generations to come.”