(2 of 3)
Meanwhile, John Burns began building a Democratic Party coalition of labor, A.J.A.s and other minorities. In 1954 Burns and his Democrats swept the haole Republican-controlled state legislature. Over the years, the A.J.A.s broadened their political base and helped Burns win the Governor's residence three times. The community as a whole prospered. Still no individual A.J.A. could even begin to match the wealthiest of the islands' 35,000 Chinese Americans, who are gifted entrepreneurs and speculators; at the same time, most of the top corporate posts remain in haole hands. But for many A.J.A.s, what mattered most was their rising influence and acceptability, symbolized in 1968 when the Pacific Club in Honolulu, long the exclusive domain of the haole ruling class, opened its doors to Japanese Americans.
How long can the A.J.A.s' political power endure? Today they account for almost 40% of all Hawaii's registered voters, but that percentage should shrink gradually as more and more mainland whites, Samoans and Filipinos migrate to the islands. In any case, A.J.A. politicians have found it necessary to play down their ethnic appeal, both as a balm to non-Japanese and in recognition of the fact that many A.J.A.s, especially young ones, are disinclined to vote on ethnic lines. "There is always this thing about how so-and-so is the first Japanese to become such-and-such," Carl Takamura, a young sansei (third-generation) state legislator, told TIME Los Angeles Bureau Chief Jess Cook. "It doesn't have meaning any more. The A.J.A. kids identify first with the Hawaiian life-style and culture and only secondarily with the particular ethnic group."
No Banzais. That was plainly evident during Hirohito's sojourn in the islands. The issei were excited—so much so that a protocol committee felt the need to urge them not to shout organized banzais at the royal motorcade. The nisei, however, were less curious. What about the sansei and yonsei (fourth-generation A.J.A.s)? Says Dennis Ogawa, associate professor of American studies at the University of Hawaii: "They think it's nice, but a lot of them would rather see Muhammad Ali."
But Japanese identity is by no means dead among the A.J.A.s. Many sansei, including Governor Ariyoshi's daughter Lynn, go to study in Japan. Traditional family New Year's fetes and a summertime harvest celebration called O ban are alive and well, even among the young. Numerous picnics held by members of various kens (groups of families tracing their lineage to specific prefectures in Japan) are common in Honolulu's Ala Moana park.
The A.J.A.s' near monopoly on top political offices will not last indefinitely.
Says craggy-faced George Ariyoshi: "At some point, the pendulum starts swinging back in the other direction." The economic outlook is hazy. New job openings in some fields traditionally favored by A.J.A.s, such as teaching and the civil service, have grown scarce.