On Tuesday, November 4, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin met with a delegation from the Okinawa Prefectural Government, led by Mr. Masahito Tamari, Director of the Governor’s Office, during their visit to the NEAR Secretariat. The two sides discussed Okinawa Prefecture’s potential accession as a full member and future cooperation.
Secretary-General Lim welcomed the visit of the Okinawa delegation and expressed appreciation for Okinawa Prefecture’s active participation in various NEAR activities since joining as an observer in 2024. He noted that NEAR has continued to expand its external network, with its General Assembly and subcommittees becoming increasingly active, leading to greater recognition of NEAR’s effectiveness among member governments. He expressed his hope that Okinawa Prefecture would join NEAR as a full member in the near future.
Secretary-General Lim added that full membership in NEAR would not only help promote Okinawa’s international cooperation and development as the “Island of Peace and Tourism” but also contribute to peace and prosperity in the Northeast Asian region.
In response, Director Tamari expressed his gratitude to the NEAR Secretariat for its continued invitations and encouragement for Okinawa’s participation as an observer. He said that, based on Okinawa’s experience in NEAR activities as an observer, the prefecture is actively considering full membership at the earliest possible date. However, he explained that this would require the support of both the prefectural assembly and residents, and efforts are underway in that regard.
Director Tamari also inquired about the possibility of hosting a “Peace Forum” or operating subcommittees on “Aging Policy” or “Tourism” if Okinawa becomes a full member, as well as the potential for co-hosting an international forum with the NEAR Secretariat.
Secretary-General Lim explained that there are currently no NEAR subcommittees dedicated to Peace or Aging Policy, so there would be no issue in establishing one in those fields. However, the “Tourism” Subcommittee is coordinated by Henan Province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and therefore Okinawa would need their consent to host related events.
Regarding the proposed “Peace Forum,” he stated that if Okinawa Prefecture were to host the event independently with its own budget, the NEAR Secretariat would provide full support. However, as all international forums co-hosted with the NEAR Secretariat for next year have already been scheduled, discussions on co-hosting could only take place from the following year onward.