Though they do not have the right to vote in American elections, the residents of the city of Obama, Japan are cheering on their namesake, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, in the primary elections underway in the United States.

“The name of our city happens to sound the same as his and we’re hoping the name Obama will spread worldwide on the coattails of his popularity,” said 54-year-old Satoshi Emi, head of the international exchange office of the city, which is located in Fukui Prefecture.

Actually the citizens of Obama probably don’t know that much about the Democrat Party presidential hopeful’s policies, but they feel his success in the U.S. might bode well for their local economy.

“We’d like him to win the election and visit our city as president,” said 55-year-old Kiyoji Fujihara, a group representative.

The group is also considering selling Japanese-style “manju” sweets with Obama’s portrait on them.