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Ex-Japanese consul to Marianas donates to recovery efforts
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Posted on Dec 20 2018
Toshio Matsumura
“I felt I had to do something help or support you and started fundraising activities alone in Matsumoto city, mountainous area of Japan.”
So wrote Toshio Matsumura in a message accompanying a donation of $1,000 to aid the Marianas in its recovery from Super Typhoon Yutu, which hit the islands in October 2018.
Matsumura is a former Japanese consul to the CNMI and was named an honorary Marianas tourism ambassador by the Marianas Visitors Authority in March 2018.
“When I saw photographs of the disaster of Yutu, I was very much surprised at the damage,” he said. “I know that all of you lost your lifeline and are troubled. …I began to ask my tennis fellows for donations, called on a temple priesthood, attended some gatherings in Nagoya, and even paid a…visit to the office of the Matsumoto Yamaga soccer team. The amount of the donation is so small, but our wish [for speedy recovery] is very heavy, which I hope you feel. I pray that your normal life will return soon and you will proceed in the way of prosperity again.”
Matsumura also acknowledged Itsuro Hosoada, owner of Himawari on Saipan, and Kentaro Imaya of ANAKS for their donations and assistance. The MVA is currently accepting public donations in Japan for the #MarianasSTRONG recovery campaign.
To mark the recovery of the islands after the typhoon, MVA and the community will host the #MarianasSTRONG Yearend Celebration on Dec. 29, 2018, from 5pm to 10pm at Paseo de Marianas pedestrian mall in Garapan. (MVA)
