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CNMI team meets with Japan defense minister
The CNMI representatives who flew out to Japan this week in hopes of further expanding the Japan tourism market have met with the Japan Minister of Defense as well as different government agencies.
According to information from the Office of the Governor, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, select Cabinet officials, and Marianas Visitors Authority officials have had high level meetings with Japanese government agencies, airline executives, and travel representatives in the last three days.
MVA board chair Gloria Cavanagh briefly shared that the purpose of the three-day meetings is to help expand the Japan tourism market for the CNMI.
One of the high-level meetings held over the course of their trip was a meeting with the Japan Minister of Defense Yasukazu Hamada, a Japanese politician who currently serves as the Minister of Defense of Japan since August 2022, previously serving from 2008 to 2009.
“The visit emphasizes the governor and lieutenant governor’s commitment to working with the Japanese government and travel partners to help increase the number of visitors from Japan to the CNMI,” said a statement from the Office of the Governor.
Palacios, who will later be sharing the highlights of his meetings, also met with representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Tourism, the Japan Airport Terminal Co. executive vice president, the deputy minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, and various travel agents and travel representatives. Palacios has also met with Japan Association of Travel Agents. JATA consists of over 1,100 travel agencies.
The CNMI administration also held a meeting with JTB Corp., one of the leading travel agencies in Japan and also the largest as it consists of 380 branches.
Palacios also met with representatives from H.I.S. Co. Ltd., one of the leading travel agencies in Japan. H.I.S. has 158 branches in Japan plus 170 branches in 60 other countries abroad.
Palacios and his team also met with representatives of United Airlines, Skymark Airlines, and Rakuten Travel Organization to discuss flights from Japan to Saipan.
