It took 43 years, but President Leonel Fernández is finally coming through for the Dominican state. 72 Japanese migrant families, or the descendants of those families, will receive land titles as promised back in 1956. The Japanese migrated to the DR after Dictator Rafael Trujillo offered them free land for a commitment to farm. He did not fulfill his promise nor did subsequent governments until now. The agreement was signed by the Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD) and the State Sugar Council (CEA). The CEA will transfer 12,143.93 tareas (about 7.6 million square meters) to the IAD for subsequent transfer to the Japanese families. The lands are located in the province of Monte Plata. The families will receive their clear titles. The agreement was signed in the presence of Tosio Watanabe, charge d’affairs of the Japanese Embassy in the DR. Quilvio Cabrera said that the government of President Fernández had a special interest in resolving the matter given the many donations the Japanese government has been making.
