Saipan seals ties with Japanese city officials
The Saipan Mayor’s Office welcomed a 34-member delegation of officials and business leaders from Noboribetsu City, Japan, and signed an amicable sister city agreement between the island and Japanese city.
The two cities held its amicable agreement signing, a closed-door event, last Monday at the Aqua Resort Club.
According to Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela the agreement is to “actively promote friendship and foster mutual understanding among the people of the Municipality of Saipan in the NMI and the people of Noboribetsu City in Hokkaido, Japan.”
The visiting delegation spent five days on Saipan for business and cultural exchanges.
Noboribetsu Mayor Akira Ueno led the Japanese contingent that included government officials and business executives and media representatives from Japan.
While on Saipan, the Noboribetsu City delegates conducted pilgrimage visits to memorial sites on the island, including sightseeing tours. A Sayonara party was held at the Hafa Adai Hotel Friday night.
Tudela said the signing was historic because it was the first time that such an agreement was officiated on Saipan.
The two cities exchanged souvenir items and tokens.
Tudela said he was overwhelmed with the turnout of the event. He said the ties between the two cities would promote social and cultural relationship “for the purpose of strengthening peace, goodwill and friendship among our people and promoting tourism and commerce between Saipan and Noboribetsu City in order to foster a better understanding of our civic communities.”
Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez and Reps. Arnold Palacios, Absalon Waki, Ray Yumul and Stanley Torres, Municipal Council members, businessman Manuel Kiyu Villagomez, and Ben Camacho attended the event.
Superior Court judges David Wiseman, Ramona Manglona, Juan T. Lizama, Kenneth L. Govendo and Supreme Court justices John Manglona and Alexandro Cruz Castro also graced the event.
Last year, Tudela flew to Japan, together with members of the Municipal Council of Saipan, to participate in the Aizu Wakamatsu City and Saipan Amicable City Agreement ceremony. The Wakamatsu City through Mayor Ichiro Kanke hosted the event.