Grand welcome greets imperial couple

Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrived yesterday on Saipan, the site of one of World War II’s fiercest battles, to pray and honor the thousands of Japanese, American, and islander lives lost during the war.

The visit to Saipan is the first ever journey outside Japan by a member of imperial family to pray for the war dead.

“Sixty years ago today, a fierce battle was still being fought on this island. Our hearts ache when we think of those people who fought at a place where there was no food, no water, and no medical treatment for the wounded,” the imperial couple said in a statement.

According to Japan figures, some 43,000 Japanese soldiers and 12,000 civilians, including children, died in the Battle of Saipan. The U.S. and local death toll totaled nearly 3,500 soldiers and over 900 islanders, including infants and elderly.

In 1995, during the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, the emperor and empress toured memorial sites in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa to pray for the casualties of war.

“This time, on soil beyond our shores, we will once again mourn and pray tribute to all those who lost their lives in the war, and we will remember the difficult path the bereaved families had to follow, and we wish to pray for world peace,” said Akihito and Michiko. “It is our hope that as we walk onwards, all of us always keep in mind that our country today is founded on the sacrifices of these many people.”

The imperial couple’s plane landed at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport at about 4:25pm, where they were met by a delegation of local, federal, and diplomatic officials.

Airport Road welcome

Despite the heavy rains hundreds of well-wishers still showed up at Airport Road yesterday afternoon to welcome the arrival of the imperial couple.

Crowds formed at the Commonwealth Ports Authority field as early as 1pm just to catch a glimpse of the visitors, who finally drove by around 4:55pm.

One of the spectators, Connie Kaufer, said she had been standing along the roadway since 1:30pm because she got information that the imperial couple would arrive at 2pm. The heavy rains started to pour before 4pm and she didn’t mind getting soaked just to get the opportunity of seeing the imperial couple.

Kaufer said she wanted to greet the empress who happens to be a niece of Kaufer’s aunt, Matilda Shoda, who is married to the empress’ uncle.

Eight-year-old Jeremy Lizama came with his family and friends, saying he wanted to express to the imperial couple his gratitude for their visit.

Students of Upward Bound School Program on Saipan also came early to wave their school banner and show their support to the visit. Jaime San Nicolas said at least 35 students from the program joined the flag-waving activity.

Naoya Wakai of Tokyo, Japan, said she timed her vacation on Saipan to coincide with the imperial couple’s visit. Wakai said he and 21 of his colleagues from Tokyo Foods Machinery Corp. arrived last Saturday. He and a friend stood drenched in the heavy rain, but waved their miniature Japanese and CNMI flags happily.

Nippon Kaigi, also known as the Japan Conference, sent 41 members from Tokyo to the CNMI to give support to the visiting imperial couple.

Kazuhiro Yoshida said their group, is a think tank-oriented NGO that has 47 branch offices in each prefecture all over Japan. He said it is the mission of Japan Conference to study fundamental issues like the Constitution, education, diplomacy, and defense, and to propose relevant policies to the Japanese government in cooperation with the Liberal Democratic Party.

The arrival of the imperial couple brought traffic to a crawl along Airport Road, as the dispersing crowd went back to their cars and drove off as soon as Akihito and Michiko’s convoy passed by.

From the airport, the emperor and empress proceeded to Hotel Nikko Saipan in San Roque. Gathered at the hotel to welcome the couple were over 50 local children and students from an informal school run by the Japanese Society of Saipan. Each child waved a U.S., CNMI, or Japan flag.

Akihito and Michiko spent about 10 minutes greeting the crowd, shaking hands and chatting with the students and their parents.

“The emperor spoke in Japanese and the empress spoke in English. They asked us how we were doing and we said we’re doing fine,” said 9-year-old Adam Sablan, who went to Hotel Nikko with his father, public auditor Michael Sablan, and older brother Zachary.

A girl student, who was also part of the welcoming group at Hotel Nikko, said she was pleased to meet the emperor and empress. “They said ‘konnichiwa‚’ and they asked me if I go to school here,” she said.

Praying for the war dead

Akihito and Michiko will spend two days on the island, during which they will visit several sites. One scheduled stop was “Banzai Cliff,” where Japanese fearing capture by American troops plunged to their deaths after shouting “banzai,” which means long life, for Akihito’s father, the late Emperor Hirohito.

The royal couple also planned to place wreaths at monuments to the U.S. troops and the local islanders, mostly Chamorro or Carolinians, who were killed.

Akihito, who was 11 years old when the war ended, attends an annual ceremony in Tokyo marking Japan’s 1945 defeat. He has been to China and has expressed remorse for the past during visits to Japan by South Korean leaders. But he has never made a trip to offer condolences at a former battlefield overseas.

Most here welcome Akihito’s visit, if only for the publicity.

Javier Atalig has his horror stories of relatives who were brutalized, or killed, by the Japanese. But he said he is also realistic. He drives a cab, and most of his fares are from Japan.

“What’s done is done,” he said. “It’s the past already. It was something my grandparents or great-grandparents had to go through.”

Roughly 75 percent of the 500,000 tourists who come each year are Japanese. Signs in Japanese are almost as common as those in English, and the local economy would collapse without the money from their golfing, shopping and diving excursions. (With Marconi Calindas and Associated Press)