A fishing town in Japan has declared its all-out support for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and for good reason too; the city and the senator share the same name. The Illinois senator took time to send city leaders a letter thanking them for their support, according to Mayor Toshio Murakami. "I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the city of Obama for your support and encouragement and thank you for your thoughtful gift. We share more than a common name. We share a common planet and common responsibility. I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and shared commitment to a better, freer world," Obama wrote in the letter.

Chopsticks can indeed be deadly after an inmate at a prison outside of Tokyo, Japan used the eating utensils to commit suicide. According to prison officials, the inmate stabbed himself in the head with the sharp end of a broken chopstick on the night of February 19. He was rushed in the hospital but died Sunday morning.

The little western Japanese city of Obama is throwing its support to the Democratic presidential candidate who shares their city's name, Barack Obama. Residents in the city of Obama in Japan are hoping Obama will become the next U. S. president and eventually, choose the city for an international summit someday.

After 14 years of research, scientists at a Japanese whisky manufacturer say they have finally created blue roses. Suntory said they are now in the process of testing the initial batch of the genetically-modified blue roses in the United States and Australia.

A court has ordered a Japanese McDonald's franchise to pay more than $70,300 USD to a store manager for years of unpaid overtime. Hiroshi Takano, a 46-year-old store manager in Kumagaya, claimed that he had served more than 100 hours of overtime in a month, without taking a day off. Coming to work at 6:00 a. m. everyday, the increasing number of responsibilities would usually find him heading for home at about midnight. "I was a manager in name only and conditions were harsh," said Takano at a press conference held at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. "It was a long battle, but [the court] finally made the right decision. . . I hope to speak out again in the future so I can live more like a human being. "