President Barack Obama shares his last name with Japan. Obama, in fact, has meaning in Japanese.

Obama in Japanese means “Little Beach”. Obama (Obama-shi) is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.

During the campaign, Obama Japan showed Obama their support which prompted Barack to say:

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the city of Obama for your support and encouragement and thank you for your thoughtful gift. We share more than a common name. We share a common planet and common responsibility. I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and shared commitment to a better, freer world.”

In October 2008, Seiji Fujiwara who led the Obama for Obama campaign in Japan, told press that “we are very proud to share the name of our town with Obama. We very much hope he wins. We think he would make a very good president.”

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