Staff writer

President Kuniwo Nakamura of the Republic of Palau, in Japan for a one-week visit, hopes Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara will respond positively to his recent proposal that Tokyo and Palau's capital, Koror, enter sister-city relations.

"Koror was called 'New Tokyo' (during the Japanese occupation) because there were many Japanese living in the city, and most of the tourists visiting there today are from Tokyo," Nakamura said in an interview this week with The Japan Times.

The Pacific island nation, more than 1,000 km south of Guam, was under Japanese occupation from 1914 to 1944, serving as a naval stronghold as well as mining, farming and fishing base. Even today, many locals over age 60 speak, read and write Japanese.

Of the 75,000 visitors to Palau last year, 32,500 were from Japan, mostly tourists.

Despite the occupation, which ended in a fierce battle between Japanese and Allied forces in 1944, Palau maintains friendly ties with Japan. "The Japanese values of discipline and respect for the elders matches our own values," said Nakamura, 55, whose Japanese father married his Palau mother during the occupation years.

He said besides the two countries' cultural and historical ties, it would be interesting to form sister-city relations between one of the world's biggest capitals and its smallest.

Nakamura made the sister-city proposal Monday when he met Ishihara, who reportedly replied that he is ready to provide any help at his disposal.

Environmental issues were also a main topic in his meeting with Ishihara, who befriended Nakamura when he visited Palau, renowned as a popular site for diving, eight years ago.

"The governor is very understanding in regards to environmental issues, and he stressed the importance of protecting Palau's environment in the meeting," Nakamura said.

"The environmental issue is a global one," he said. "Although Palau is still pristine, we are going through industrialization, and the problem will intensify. We need assistance from Japan to cope with the issue."

Just as in Japan, waste disposal is a big problem in Palau. But because of its beautiful coral reefs, dumping waste into the sea is not an option.

Also, overfishing threatens to deplete the ocean's resources in the near future unless proper measures are taken immediately. Japan is one of the biggest destinations of Palau's tuna exports.

Nakamura's government is now working on an environmental master plan to protect the inland and reef areas, while pursuing viable, sustainable development.

"The plan requires highly technical expertise, and we are asking the Japanese government for assistance in this project," Nakamura said.

He expressed his gratitude for Japan's assistance and called for further cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties.

Nakamura's Japan itinerary also included stops in Mie Prefecture, where his father was born, Hiroshima and Osaka for the opening of a Palau tourist information office.