EDITORIAL
New Japan consul can help us out

From plantations to tourism, Hawai'i's business and cultural ties with Japan have deep roots. But economic woes on both sides of the Pacific Ocean can weaken that link if we're not careful.

As we mourn a decline in Japanese tourists to Hawai'i, it's clear we're going to have to keep abreast of the changing business and cultural climate in the nation known as the Rising Sun.

Enter Masatoshi Muto, the new Japanese general consul in Honolulu. Part of his diplomatic mission, he suggests, is to educate Hawai'i — and in particular third- and fourth-generation Americans of Japanese ancestry — about modern Japan. A bridge must be built between the old and new worlds.

His timing couldn't be better.

Muto points out that the old ways are changing in Japan. Japan is opening to foreign business, and the Japanese corporate management system is no longer based on lifetime employment.

Also, it should be noted that the younger Japanese are more attuned to ecology and the outdoors. That should be a big hint for Hawai'i to better develop its ecotourism industry.

We bid a warm welcome to Consul Muto and look forward to his guidance at this important junction in Hawai'i's relationship with the Rising Sun.