Saipan Mayor RB Camacho and Katori Mayor Tomonori Ito of Japan plant a tangerine tree at Sugar King Park on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.
KATORI City Mayor Tomonori Ito on Saturday said he supports increased Japanese tourism to Saipan.
“At the moment the flights between Saipan and Tokyo are limited,” Ito said through his translator Samuel Hanada. “But once we go back to Japan we’re hoping to be able to talk to different tourism agencies in order to try and get them to raise the amount of flights. We think Saipan is an amazing island and we want more Japanese people to come here.”
Katori, which is in Chiba Prefecture in Japan, has had a “sister city” relationship with Saipan since 2021.
Ito and a delegation of his municipal staff and Shinto priests were on island to take part in the Saipan Katori Shrine Annual Ceremony as well as the Japanese Autumn Festival.
Ito arrived on Friday and met with Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, Saipan Mayor RB Camacho, and Marianas Visitors Authority officials.
Ito said he also wants to create a sports exchange program with Saipan “as soon as possible.”
“We heard that the track field here in Saipan is famous, so we’re looking to do something along those lines,” Ito said.
He said in 2022, Japanese students from two middle schools traveled to Saipan as part of a cultural exchange program with Hopwood Middle School. He said this year, three Japanese middle schools were able to participate in the exchange program, which he wants to continue to grow.
Ito said he and Mayor Camacho also discussed agricultural support for Saipan.
“[Mayor Camacho] was talking about how he has an interest in sweet potatoes, because obviously Katori is famous for sweet potatoes as well,” Ito said. “So taking that information we want to go back to Japan and deliberate on how we can assist and guide Saipan in that area,” Ito said.
At the conclusion of the Saipan Katori Shrine Annual Ceremony, Ito and Camacho planted a tangerine tree on Sugar King Park.
