LinkedIn and the Japanese business etiquette for Salutation

LinkedIn is a great tool for keeping in touch and reconnecting with your past and current colleagues worldwide - including Japan.

When sending invitations, LinkedIn gives you the choice of adding a personal note.
At first look, this seems more like an optional / personalization thing, when in fact it is actually very useful in a multinational environment.

For example, in Japan, the proper business etiquette for salutation is: Last Name followed by the word “san”. (Example: “Hi Suzuki-san”).

LinkedIn option for a personal note gives you the opportunity to address your contact in the proper way.