The CNMI is looking to tap into existing U.S. trade agreements with Japan and South Korea to bring new investment into the islands — particularly investment that could help restore air service — according to Joe Guerrero of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers, a government–private sector advisory body.
Guerrero, who was part of the Apatang administration’s 902 consultations team in Washington, said the administration raised the proposal during meetings with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and officials from Japan and Korea.
Under the current agreements, Japan has committed to invest $550 billion in the United States over the next four years, while Korea has committed $350 billion. Because the CNMI is part of the United States, Guerrero said the Commonwealth should be able to benefit from those commitments.
“The CNMI is asking federal officials to allow investments made by Japanese or Korean airlines — such as funding daily flights to Saipan — to count toward those countries’ required investment totals,” he said.
He added that the CNMI’s needs are small compared to the billions involved, and that the idea has been well‑received by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the agreements.
Guerrero said the CNMI is already taking concrete steps to engage Japanese air‑service investors, with Korea next. Because the trade agreements are administrative rather than legislative, the proposal would require only executive‑branch approval, though a future U.S. president could change the policy.
