The students from Seisa Gakuen of Yokohama City and their counterparts from Marianas High School delivered emotional speeches as they expressed appreciation for the program and the many friendships it has created over the years.
Yasuo Miyazawa, founder of the exchange program and president of the Seisa Group, said in 25 years over 7,000 students from Japan have visited Saipan while over 1,000 MHS students went to Japan.
The program also provides Saipan students the opportunity to experience winter in Japan where they also learned how to ski and snowboard.
Miyazawa said he is very happy that so many MHS students have joined the program.
The most important thing about it, he added, is the opportunity to understand each other’s cultures.
It is fascinating to see students from both Saipan and Japan quickly getting along despite the language barrier, he said.
Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, and Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, presented Miyazawa a resolution commending him for his tireless work in maintaining peace and friendship between the youths of Saipan and Japan.
Tenorio said Miyazawa lives in Yokohama but his heart is here on Saipan.
For 25 years, he noted, Miyazawa “has been a driving force behind the cultural exchange program that has seen thousands of Japanese and Marianas students visit each other and learn tolerance, respect and their own self-worth.”
He said many local students who have been with the program are now among the leaders of the CNMI.
Saipan Mayor Donald Flores also commended Miyazawa for the annual program that has helped many Saipan students learn more about Japanese culture.
MHS principal Craig Garrison said it has been an “epic journey” for the exchange program.
Garrison, who was a teacher of MHS when he first got involved in the program, said he has seen it evolved in the last 15 years.
“I don’t know if there’s any organization like this that has achieved such a high level. It continues to bring all these students every single year from Japan even during these hard economic times,” he said.
Miyazawa, Garrison said, is committed because he understands the value of friendship between the two schools.
“I really appreciate the fact that many of our students’ parents actually participate in this program. We have a huge connection all the way back,” he added.
