February 20, 2004

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HONOLULU— On February 20, 2004, JAIMS held a special invitation-only open house featuring former Asahi Shimbun editor Yukio Matsuyama. Brandishing his sharp insight into the trends and people of Japan, Matsuyama discussed the current issues of Japan amongst a crowd of local business leaders and JAIMS MBA students.

Since he first visited Honolulu in 1961, Matsuyama has seen a dramatic change in the U.S. perception of Japan and even more in the influence both cultures have had on one another. From the exchange of popular culture to the significant import of politics and business practices, Matsuyama has seen far more instances of change than he would have dared imagine over forty years ago.

Not all change is brought about externally of course, Matsuyama notes that some changes come about not just because of U.S. influence but because of Japan’s economic hardship. Most notably, Japanese company policies of lifetime employment have made a turn against tradition and have taken to laying off workers. In turn, more Japanese employees are shunning traditional career values and choosing to change jobs more frequently.

“ When we enjoyed stability and prosperity, we preferred the status quo to any drastic change,” Matsuyama said, “but recently more and more Japanese have come to realize that we have to accept the changes of the traditional ways of doing things in order to survive.”

Even the Japanese’s deep-rooted beliefs in the role of women seem to be changing. Traditionally Japanese women have been shunned from positions of authority, but even this seems to be changing according to Matsuyama.
There is now a paradigm shift lead by new gender equality and employment laws and more women taking seats of high authority–unthinkable just a few years back.

“ The more women are educated, the more they are frustrated [with traditional views],” he said.

As cultures mingle and the world grows even smaller, says Matsuyama, both Japan and the United States must look beyond standard government to government and business to business relationships between nations.

“ I don’t believe it will ever be possible to make lasting happy relations between nations only through exchange of technology, trade, or financial affiliations…” he said, “what is now badly needed is not more material or technological relations but more opportunities to promote mutual understanding.”

A graduate from Tokyo University's law department in 1953, Matsuyama is the former Chair of the Editorial Board of the Asahi Shimbun and former Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard University. Matsuyama is considered one of the leading authorities on U.S.-Japan relations and has written several books on Japanese and American societies and cultures in both Japanese and English. He has also served on the board of several advisory committees at such institutions as Harvard University, the Monterey Institute of International Affairs, and the International University. Awards include the Japan Society, N.Y. Award (1996), The Best Man of the Year (Japan Career Women’s Association, 1987), Ishibashi Tanzan Prize (1986), and the Japan Press Club Prize (1978).