Japan’s hula dancers celebrate Obama victory
Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 1:27 PMWatching America Vote
TOKYO – "Yes we can! Obama!" roared Japanese men and women in hula-dance costumes on national television. They’re members of possibly the most ardent of Barack Obama supporters in Japan, a small fishing town in western Japan with a population of 32,000 which shares the same name as the new president-elect.
After Obama’s election victory, it seemed like every Japanese television network descended on the town of Obama to capture the jubilation of residents celebrating with their Hawaiian-themed dancing and singing (a tribute to Obama’s birthplace) and hoping that their tie to the ever-popular next president of the United States will boost local business and tourism.
EPA
Members of a local Hula dance group 'Obama Hula Girls' stand in a circle during a celebration party held at the city hall in Obama City, a fishing port town in Japan, on Wednesday.
In Japan, the excitement was hardly limited to the town of Obama, which translates in English to "little beach." At the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, more than 500 university students gathered to watch the election coverage. The election has ramification across the globe, said Masashi Yamashita, 22. "Change is important not just for the United States, but also for Japan. If the U.S. changes, so will the rest of the world."
It’s no surprise to see the outpouring of excitement here about Obama’s victory at the polls: a July Gallup poll found that 66 percent of the Japanese respondents favored Obama, overshadowing John McCain’s 15 percent.
Issue of mutual concern: North Korea
But if there is an issue that has the Japanese public concerned, it’s how the new Obama administration would seek diplomacy with North Korea, particularly on the issue of the 17 Japanese nationals abducted three decades ago by North Korean agents. Even though six years ago North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il admitted to the abductions, since then only five people have been returned to Japan while no progress has been made of uncovering the fate of the others still believed to be trapped in North Korea.
"It’s a little worrying because Mr. Obama has not invested in this issue as much as President Bush, who has met with the families of the abductees," said 22-year-old Daisuke Kunikata at the U.S. Embassy election event.
But even so, the Bush administration last month removed North Korea from the State Department's list of terrorism-sponsoring nations, paving the way for fresh aid to North Korea’s capitol Pyongyang.
Shogo Yazawa, a 22-year-old university student at the embassy event, thinks it might be time for Japan to change tactics. "North Korea has never relented to pressure and Mr. Obama has said that he would be willing to have a dialogue with them," said Yazawa, "I know it would be extremely difficult for the families for the abductees but maybe it’s time for Japan to change its policy."
Japanese musicians in the town of Obama perform a song dedicated to the president-elect: "Obama Is Beautiful World." Whether or not the idea of "change" rubs off in Japan, in the meantime, more hula dancing is expected from the town of Obama Wednesday evening. The town residents’ next mission? To be invited to the inauguration celebrations in January.
