Japan consulate assures continued presence in the CNMI

The Consular Office of Japan has assured that it will continue providing services for Japanese nationals residing or visiting the CNMI following a report about the possibility of the Philippine Consulate General closing down.

Japan Consul Tsutomu Higuchi said yesterday that their office, located on the second floor of the Bank of Hawaii building at the Marina Heights Business Park, has “not at all” considered shutting down and will remain open to their citizens.

“I’m not sure how the Japanese government would think but I haven’t received any announcement or information from our office about shutting down our office,” he said. “I’m sure our office will continue to be here.”

The Consular Office of Japan, which has been operating on Saipan for over 30 years, is one of two foreign government offices in the CNMI. The other is the Philippine Consulate General on the fifth floor of the Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe.

Palau used to have a consulate on Saipan but it was closed down last year.

Philippine media reports state that the Consulate General on Saipan is among the 12 embassies and consulates that the Department of Foreign Affairs is thinking of closing down by the end of 2012 due to “rationalization” of resources.

Higuchi emphasized that the Consular Office of Japan does not only provide services to Japanese who reside in the Commonwealth but also to those who visit the islands as tourists.

He disclosed that their office has available data every October on the number of Japanese citizens residing in the CNMI. He said that as of October 2011, they have over 1,000 Japanese nationals in the Commonwealth-“there is not much difference” compared to 2010.

“Our community size is very small compared to the size of the Filipino community,” noted Higuchi.

What it lacks in the number of residents is made up in the number of Japanese visitors. According to Higuchi, the CNMI hosts hundreds of thousands of Japanese visitors each year, with 2011 alone accommodating nearly 200,000 tourists from their country.

“We have to consider not only the number of residents here but also the number of tourists here. That’s the big difference between the Japan and the Philippine [Consulates],” he told Saipan Tribune.

Higuchi said they provide Japanese tourists with consular services that include issuance of passports as well as assistance and support to those tourists who become victims of crime.

“We have to protect, we have to give our services to tourists as well, that’s why we’ll continue to be here,” he added. “We always try our best to support the Japanese residents and tourists at the same level.”

Higuchi also disclosed that the number of foreign nationals who apply for a visa to travel to Japan has “slightly decreased.”

“I think that’s simply because they cannot travel without a parole, that’s why they hesitate to go abroad,” he said.