Image Courtesy Jeffrey Lynne

In the early 1900s, Japanese émigré Jo Sakai established Yamato (“Japan”) Colony of Japanese farmers in Palm Beach County. The county’s link to the East could soon be ignited anew, improving trade, relations and opportunities between Boca Raton, Palm Beach County and Yamato itself.

It seems the stars, circumstances or a broadening global economy are aligning to invigorate area trade and business opportunities with Japan, says Jeffrey C. Lynne, Esq., LEED AP, a partner with real estate, zoning, government affairs and litigation law firm Weiner, Lynne & Thompson, P.A.

The attorney recently visited Japan on a trip intended to scout business opportunities (Click here to see Lynne’s Facebook journal of his trip)

Business is picking up – and Boca Raton and Florida stand to gain. Orlando International Airport is seeking direct flights to and from Japan. PortMiami, Port Everglades and Jacksonville are seeking to berth the new, larger “Panamax” ships that will traverse the widened Panama Canal when it’s inaugurated for new traffic in 2014.

Palm Beach County will host the World Stem Cell Summit in December, with more than a dozen internationally recognized business people attendees traveling from Japan. And for Japanese investors and business executives looking to park their money somewhere, the growing Boca Raton technology and business climate – and that found countywide – offer unparalleled opportunities.

“We have Scripps and biotech and manufacturing. We have land, parks, schools and beaches,” Lynne says. “We have everything a Japanese company would want.”

Some amenities and infrastructure will have to change. Palm Beach County will need more multifamily, multiuse development, like that intended for the Northwest Sector. Transit will need to improve to accommodate more people and commuters, without straining existing roads and highways. As Lynne says, “They’re not use to cars, they’re used to trains.”

The hope is that as trade grows between Palm Beach County and Japan, as scientists take note of the area’s regional collaboration, as Panamax ships arrive, as investors come, Boca Raton, Palm Beach County and all of Florida will enjoy renewed bonds – and business opportunities.