Page 5 - IAV Digital Magazine #510

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
U.S. Election Brings Internet Fame To Japanese Mayor 'Jo Baiden'
By Ben Hooper
Nov. 10 (UPI) -
- The mayor of a Japanese town said he was ini- tially confused as to why his name was trending on social media after the U.S. presi- dential election, until family mem- bers pointed out the characters in his name also spell out "Jo Baiden."
Mayor Yutaka Umeda of Yamato, Kumamoto pre- fecture, said the
Chinese kanji characters that spell out his name can also be pronounced as "Jo Baiden," a name strikingly similar to that of President-
elect Joe Biden.
"Although there are differences in the positions of a U.S. presidential candidate and the mayor of Yamato here in the center of Kyushu, our passion is the same. We contin- ue working to ful- fill our duty to ensure the happi-
ness and spiritual richness of our residents," Umeda was quot- ed as saying by Japanese news- paper The Mainichi.
Umeda said he is considering ways of using his new- found Internet fame to bring extra attention to Yamato, a town of 14,418 people.
"I would like to think of ways to promote the town," he told Kyodo News
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine