A SMALL town mayor called "Jo Baiden" has become an unlikely internet star in Japan in the wake of the US election result.
Yutaka Umeda first realised the characters used to write his name sounded like new US leader while watching coverage of the count on TV.
The 73-year-old mayor of Yamato – a town of 15,000 in southwestern Japan – now believes he has a great affinity with the President-elect.
"I feel very close to him. It feels as though I've also won the election," he said.
Japan uses kanji characters from China along with phonetic Japanese script, especially for names and the characters and can sometimes be read in different ways.
In Umeda’s case, his first name, Yutaka, can also be pronounced “Jo,” while his surname becomes “Baiden.”
Over the last few days, Umeda has become a media and internet sensation – leaving him in a state of shock.
“I’m really surprised,” Umeda told Reuters.
“I was told I was in the news in Japan but I was in Tokyo yesterday, and I heard from people that I made news in the U.S. too.”
People have now suggested Umeda should fly to Washington to meet his namesake or even invite the new world leader to Yamato.
However, for now, Umeda said he will content himself with a congratulatory letter.
“To me, the president of the U.S. was someone far away,” said Umeda.
“But coincidentally, because our names are phonetically the same, I feel much closer to him when I watch his speeches and videos.”
Umeda said he has received a flood of messages following the former vice president's election win.
"Being the president of a superpower like the United States and a mayor of Yamato – the scale is completely different, but I'd like to think of ways to promote the town," he said.
When former Biden's running mate, Barack Obama, was elected president in 2008, the city of Obama, in Fukui Prefecture, generated headlines in both Japan and abroad.
Local residents established a group to support Obama and created merchandise featuring his likeness.
The then-mayor of the coastal city even expressed hope that Obama would become a special honorary citizen.
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