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World War II fallen honored at Sugar King Park ceremony
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- Japanese Shinto high priest (guji) Takeshi Katori, center, poses with Japanese pilgrims, Saipan Mayor’s Office special assistant Henry Hofschneider, Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan), Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Chris Concepcion, Japanese Consul Toshio Matsumura, Saipan Mayor’s Office director of operations Joann Aquino, and MVA marketing manager Bruce Bateman after the Katori Jingu Shrine ceremony honoring those that have fallen during WWII. (Erwin Encinares)
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- The path leading to the Katori Jingu Shrine at the Sugar King Park. (Erwin Encinares)
The Japanese Society of Northern Marianas honored the fallen of World War II in a ceremony at the Katori Jingu Shrine at Sugar King Park last Oct. 22.
The shrine was originally built at another site in 1914 but was moved to Sugar King Park in 1931. The Katori Jingu Shrine was destroyed during the war; it was burned to the ground. It was later rebuilt by the Katori Shrine Association of Japan, with the assistance of the local government, finishing the reconstruction in 1985.
Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Chris Concepcion honored the occasion with his presence. “We are very excited to welcome back our friends from Japan who hold the ceremony annually here in the CNMI,” he said. “This shows how important the Japan tourism market is to Saipan’s tourism industry. We want to continue these relations and we want to welcome more Japanese into the Marianas and make sure that these relations remain to be more fruitful for the future.”
Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan) agreed with Concepcion, with hopes that more people would attend the ceremony next year.
“It’s important that we continue to support the lone [country] that actually brought the tourists here in the CNMI, the Japan market. I encourage the community, hopefully next year, to come and support this event when it takes place again. It’s important for them to honor the dead that died here during World War II. …I’m going to look forward to encouraging the Legislature to come up and show support in the future,” he said.
Saipan Mayor’s Office special assistant Henry Hofschneider said the ceremony is important to the Saipan Mayor’s Office because of past relationships.
“This is an event that the Mayor’s Office always look forward to. This brings back our friends and families who lived here on Saipan at one point, so their families, their generations, are coming back. We need to continue making our bonds and relationships strong. This ceremony is annual, and the mayor’s always ready to help them,” said Hofschneider. The ceremony has been held annually since 1985.
