NMI leaders want Japan to recall travel advisory

CNMI officials and business leaders on a three-day visit in Japan will appeal to Japanese authorities to remove the Northern Marianas from the list of unsafe destinations for their travelers, according to a member of the delegation.

Rep. Norman S. Palacios, chair of the House Committee on Federal and Foreign Relations, said this would be one of their key goals when they hold meetings with Japanese government officials, lawmakers and businessmen.

Aside from the Tinian representative, the delegation is composed of Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, Vice Speaker Alejo M. Mendiola, Commerce and Tourism Committee chair Rep. Bobby T. Guerrero and Rep. Malua T. Peter.

Saipan Chamber of Commerce Lyn Knight, HANMI President Ron Sablan, Strategic Economic Development Council Chair Scott Bowman, Aviation Committee Chair Bob Jones and MVA Board Chair Dave M. Sablan and Managing Director Perry Tenorio were also in the list.

The group flew yesterday afternoon to Tokyo for the official visit aimed at exploring investment potentials and enhancing relations with Japanese lawmakers. It ends tomorrow.

According to Mr. Palacios, the visit was a response to the invitation extended by the Japan/CNMI Parliament League Associations following the trip here last March by their Japanese counterparts.

He said the CNMI delegation will take the opportunity to discuss with the Tokyo government the recent decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a travel advisory to Japanese tourists that lists Saipan and Rota as unsafe destinations.

“We hope to convince them that we are doing the necessary measures to protect the tourists and visitors here in the CNMI. We will ask them to remove us from that list,” Mr. Palacios told in an interview before his departure.

The advisory cautions Japanese citizens against traveling to the islands due to what it alleged as rampant crimes of robbery, murder, drug use and smuggling on the islands, particularly Saipan and Rota.

Japan is the Commonwealth’s biggest source of tourists and investors, while the tourism industry is the backbone of the local economy.

CNMI officials and business leaders are expected to meet with two key officials of the foreign affairs ministry in Japan — Director of U.S. Bureau Fujisaki Inchiro and its chief Haneda Koji, said Mr. Palacios.

“This is an opportunity to appeal to them to erase that image of the CNMI among their travelers and to tell them that we have implemented programs to ensure their safety,” added the lawmaker, who coordinated the trip.

Mr. Palacios disclosed they had met earlier with Japanese consul to the CNMI who expressed satisfaction over the safety measures carried out by the island government.

“He’s very happy also that we are exerting efforts to find ways to meet with other Japanese officials,” he said. “He’s certainly looking forward to the results of our efforts.”

Aside from this, the delegation also has set discussion with officials of the Ministry of Transportation in efforts to improve air service between Japan and the CNMI and to bring in additional flights to the islands., he said.

They will likewise meet with members of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, and the 15,000-strong Japan Entrepreneurs President’s Association or JEPA, a powerful business group in the country that can help the CNMI attract more investments.