Hawaii Herald (newspaper)

An English language newspaper published in Honolulu by Hawaii Hochi, Ltd. that covered the Japanese American community in Hawai'i.

The Hawaii Herald name had been used for two related newspapers before the current and longest-lasting incarnation. During World War II, the two main Honolulu Japanese American newspapers, the Nippu Jiji and Hawaii Hochi , were allowed to keep publishing under the supervision of the martial law government. As part of a drive to "Americanize" their names, each changed their names to the Hawaii Times and the Hawaii Herald respectively. The Hochi remained the Herald for nearly a decade, reverting to the Hawaii Hochi in 1952.

At the behest of new company owner Konosuke Oishi and the Hochi's president and publisher Paul Yempuku, the Hawaii Herald name reappeared in a new eight-page English language tabloid that debuted on April 1, 1969. Initially issued twice a month, it became a weekly by the end of the first year. It covered a combination of local news about Japanese American movers and shakers, Japanese American sports and athletes, the Cherry Blossom Festival (and queens), and substantial coverage of Japan. It also printed Japanese children's folk tales, devoted a page to the Japanese television schedule, and also ran ads for often racy Japanese movies shown by local theaters. It ended in October 1973, ostensibly due to a newsprint shortage. The initial editor was Ronald Maruyama, and several others followed. The longest-tenured was James Brown, who was also the editor of the Hochi's English section.

Seven years later, a new version of the Hawaii Herald began (also published by Yempuku and the Hochi ), aimed at an entirely English-language audience. It was subtitled "A Journal for Hawaii's Japanese Americans." Founding editor Kenneth H. Toguchi wrote that the "purpose of The Herald is to serve the Japanese American community, one of the largest and oldest immigrant groups in the state, by gathering information on local events, issues, lifestyles and people." The sixteen-page, twice monthly tabloid included columns on cooking, gardening, and Japanese American history along with digests summarizing news from the "mainland," Japan, and Hawai'i. Feature articles highlighted notable Japanese Americans or Japanese American enterprises, coverage of community events, and a good deal of historical content, including coverage of World War II, particularly the exploits of the Nisei soldiers and of the internment of Japanese Americans in Hawai'i. The Herald also included a community calendar and TV listings for local Japanese language programs. Later, a series of comic strips by local Japanese American artists began to appear, most notably Ray Maeda's pidgin' English-speaking Fats Funai , which ran for some thirty years.

In June of 1983, Arnold T. Hiura took over as editor. Under Hiura's leadership, more historical and literary pieces began to appear, as well as special "neighbor island" editions that highlighted stories from specific islands. Many other special issues—encompassing additional sections and longer page counts—began to appear, including New Year's editions that topped out at 96 pages in 1991. Hiura also oversaw the publication of a 160-page 10th anniversary issue in 1990. Circulation also rose from 5,242 subscribers in 1985 to 9,275 by 1992, peaking at 9,403 in 1993. ^[1] Hiura stepped down as editor in 1991 (though he would continue to contribute a column to the paper), replaced by longtime staff writer Karleen Chinen. After 3 1/2 years, Chinen stepped down and was replaced by Mark Santoki in 1995. During this era, the Herald actively covered the Redress Movement , devoted issues to the 50th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and the formation of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team , and covered efforts in the 1990s to seek reparations for Japanese Americans excluded but not interned during the war.

After six years, Santoki resigned in 2000, replaced by Warren Iwasa. After Iwasa's departure three years later, Chinen returned as editor in 2004, a position she held for several years. As its core audiences aged and internet popularity rose, the Herald saw its subscriptions drop. From its 1993 peak, subscriptions fell to 5,487 in 2006 and to 3,730 in 2015, less than forty percent of the peak figure. Advertising revenue also fell. "You need the advertising, and everybody getting a hard time to get the advertising," publisher Yempuku said in a 2009 interview. "And you have a new media, Internet, or many other new media. So I think we have to struggle." ^[2] Staff cuts—and a shrinking page count—inevitably followed. At the end of 1989, the editorial staff included an editor, four staff writers, and a sports editor. In 2017, the editorial staff included just editor Chinen and long-time managing editor Gwen Battad Ishikawa. Perhaps reflecting the age and interest of subscribers, columns were titled "Your Social Security" and "Medicare 411." Multiple cover stories in recent years had focused on Alzheimer's disease.

On December 1, 2023, the Hawaii Herald ended its 42-year run due to shrinking subscriptions, the rise of free online news, and the rise of cable news and social media. Its Japanese-language sister publication, the Hawaii Hochi, also shut down on December 7, 2023, the 111th anniversary of its founding. Both papers were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to business closures and reduced advertising, both of which are instrumental to the profitability of print media. While many daily newspapers across the country saw a decline in readership, ethnic newspapers like the Hawaii Herald and Hawaii Hochi were among those forced to close. ^[3]

As a valuable resource for documenting Hawaii's Japanese American community, both the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i maintain indexes of the Herald and have full collections of the paper. While some articles of the Hawaii Herald are available on its website, the Hoover Institution Library & Archives has acquired materials from both papers to be part of the Hoji Shinbun Digital Collection, the world’s largest online archive of open-access, full-image Japanese diaspora newspapers. ^[4] In 2024, the Hawai‘i Herald reopened as The San Times, referencing the “sansei” or third-generation Japanese Americans through the efforts of former editors, including Kristen Nemoto Jay, Jodie Chiemi Ching, and Summer Nakaishi. ^{[5] [6]} While the Zentoku Foundation had provided financial assistance to The San Times, the online site continues to rely on donations to disseminate past and present stories of Japanese Americans.