The students and 19 teachers, from Ueda Nishi High School, Nagano Prefecture in Ueda City, arrived here on Monday.
Ueda Nishi High School headmaster/principal Kenji Muramatsu said the visit is a good experience for the students.
“Members of the young generation do not know what happened before, and it is good to let them come here and see historical places,” Muramatsu said.
This is the second time that students from their school came to visit Saipan. The first time was two years ago.
He said the same group also visited Hawaii and Singapore for the same purpose — cultural exchange and peace rites.
Miyashita Masahiro, a student leader, said it is his first time to visit Saipan.
“This is an important event because we want to know and be reminded of what happened here during war and tell others of our generation,” Masahiro said.
The rain did not deter the students from stopping by the Japanese monuments at the Last Command Post after the ceremony at Banzai Cliff.
The group is staying at the Saipan World Resort and the Pacific Islands Club. While here, the students will also be visiting tourist spots and historical sites, go shopping for souvenirs and meet with their Marianas High School counterparts. The students will depart Saipan on Thursday afternoon.
