Japanese mayor ‘Jo Baiden’ welcomes internet fame after US election
- Yutaka Umeda, mayor of Yamato in Kumamoto Prefecture, was caught by surprise when his family told him that the alternative reading of his name
- Umeda said he has received many messages following the presidential election results, congratulating him on the success of Joe Biden
Yutaka Umeda, 73, who heads the town of Yamato in southwestern Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, was caught by surprise when his family told him that the alternative reading of his name has drawn attention online.
Kanji Chinese characters usually have several phonetic readings.
The mayor’s family name comprises characters meaning “plum” and “rice field” but while they are usually pronounced as “ume” and “da” in the name – a fairly common one in Japan – they can be also pronounced as “bai” and “den”. The character for Yutaka, meanwhile, is more commonly pronounced as “jo”.
Umeda said he has received many messages following the presidential election results, congratulating him on the success of the former US vice-president under Barack Obama.
With Biden set to take office next year, Umeda now hopes it will also be a chance for his town with a population of about 15,000 to gain recognition.