600-strong JC Tokai group arrives on Saipan for visit

The 41st JC Japanese Youth Goodwill Cruise “Tokai-go” group sits along side Saipan Awaodori members. The colors signify different sub-groups within the Junior Chamber of Commerce for Japan.
(Jayson Camacho)

Marianas Visitors Authority executive director Perry Tenorio, Consular Office of Japan Consul Hitoshi Kikuchi, and Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider led other dignitaries in welcoming the group to the island and in expressing appreciation for their visit.

41st JC Youth Voyage board of directors member Akira Ito and Pacific Eagle Enterprises Inc. vice president Aya Matusmoto expounded on the background of the group and the purpose of their visit.

“We welcome all of the young men and women, these future professionals of Japan, as they learn about our unique paradise, as well as engage in training which will prepare them in the charting the path Japan will embark on as they get older,” Hofschneider said.

Hofschneider praised the JC Tokai’s Junior Chamber of Commerce for continuing the “storied tradition” between the CNMI and Japan.

“Through war, recovery, prosperity, and recession, we have continued to support one another, and it is through that that we support them in the cause of facilitating the next generation of leaders for Japan,” Hofschneider said.

Kikuchi said that he is very pleased and extends his warm welcome to the visitors. “Japanese tourist have been decreasing and I am glad that they have chosen Saipan as your destination,” Kikuchi told the visitors in Japanese.

Kikuchi also noted the historical background that Saipan holds for the visiting members.

Tenorio presented Ito with a plaque to recognize the support of the Japanese group in promoting the CNMI.

Ito told Saipan Tribune said that their major purpose is promote world peace and help change the world. According to her, the group wants to create international friendships through these voyages.

Pacific Eagle’s president Willie Matsumoto said the group is visiting Saipan so they could immerse themselves in the multicultural society of the islands and learn about the historical events that happened here.

The group was entertained by the Saipan Awaodori Team.

The group, which departed the island yesterday, is a Junior Chamber of Commerce based in the Tokai district, which is composed of the Aichi, Gifu, Mie, and Shizuoka prefectures in Japan.

JC Tokai’s Junior Chamber of Commerce had been to the CNMI in 2000, 2007, and 2010, ranging in numbers from 500 to 600.