TOKYO (AFP) — Barack Obama has sent a letter saluting his supporters in a Japanese town that shares his name, delighting residents who are rooting for the US Senator to win his party's presidential nomination.
The mayor of the western town of Obama last year sent a package to the presidential hopeful that included a set of local lacquer chopsticks, voicing hope he would take interest in the region.
After a long wait, the town's mayor on Monday received a letter from Obama expressing his appreciation for the town's "support and encouragement" and the "thoughtful gifts".
Obama wrote the letter in English but signed it in Japanese, "Your friend".
"We share more than a common name; we share a common planet and common responsibilities," Obama wrote in the letter.
"I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and a shared commitment to a better, freer world," he concluded.
Obama's mayor, Toshio Murakami, proudly showed the letter to reporters and said he would write back after watching how Obama fares against Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's key contests in Texas and Ohio for the Democratic nomination.
"I was so surprised. It's like, 'Really? Is this true?'" Murakami said.
Obama, which means "small shore" in Japanese, is an ancient fishing village of 32,000 on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) where residents are planning to hold a party to watch the results of the latest primary elections.
Some 100 self-styled Obama supporters plan to gather wearing "I love Obama" t-shirts and headbands. The crowd will give a rousing Japanese chant of "Banzai" -- which means "Long live!" -- if Obama clinches the nomination.
During the results, supporters will dine on food named after the senator , such as the "Obama Hamburger" and the "Obama Cutlet Roll".
"We feel very close to Mr Obama as it's pretty rare to have such a coincidence in name," said Seiji Fujihara, a member of the local tourism board as well as head of a club for Obama supporters in the town.
"If he's elected, we hope to arrange a trip to the White House to meet Mr Obama. I hope he'll accept our visit."
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