A City in Japan Named "Obama"
The fishing town of Obama -- which means "Little Beach" in Japanese --in central Japan recently won worldwide fame for its fervent support for U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama. The town's citizens have made headbands, T-shirts and sweet bean cakes decorated with his portrait. The town's mayor even sent gifts to Mr. Obama and apparently received a heart-felt letter and thank you note back from Mr. Obama. The town is 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of Tokyo and has a population of 32,000.
Founded by John D. Rockefeller 3d in 1971, the Williamsburg Conference brings top leaders from Asia and the United States together to discuss the greatest challenges facing the Asia-Pacific community and develop creative approaches for addressing them. During the 36th Annual Williamsburg Conference in April 2008 in Bali, Indonesia, Asia Society asked policy leaders from across Asia which US presidential candidate is most favorably viewed in their part of the world.
A large number of respondents said Barack Obama
was the most popular, and the Indonesian respondents in particular talked about the significance of Senator Obama's early childhood in the country. Meanwhile, the city named "Obama" in Japan is enjoying increasing popularity! Watch their video responses below.
In light of the historic victory of Mr. Obama, you may find the link to the full story and videos by Asia Society interesting.