By Akiko Kashiwagi

Tokyo- Analysts and commentators alike took the election results as a testament to America’s strong desire for a change and responded positively. The image of thousands of Americans listening to his victory speech, some with tears in their eyes, seems to be sending a strong impression that the United States is going through a historic moment. “I see an enormous urge among Americans to want to see change and to see that [as I watch the campaign] in turn makes us foreigners feel excited about what changes are to come,” says Kenichi Sakata, a 31-year old think-tank researcher. “This is a scene we haven’t seen here,” says an anchor woman in the evening news.

On Wednesdy, all the television channels have been doing news shows from morning till evening. That’s not probably surprising as the Japanese have demonstrated an unusually high interest in this U.S. election. Over the last few days, scores of Japanese media organizations including all the major network stations have sent dozens of reporters to U.S. cities including Chicago , Phoenix and even to Kenya to beam back live programs. The energy and time spent on the coverage is no less generous compared with domestic Japanese elections.

Behind Japan’s enthusiasm with this U.S. election is their sense of frustration and stagnation with their own politics, say experts. Japan has been ruled by the same party for nearly half a century and dominated by second or third generation politicians. For that reason, Obama’s fresh messages seem to have a strong appeal. Yusuke Inoue, a 30-year old businessman who works for an ad agency, is one of those many Japanese who are watching the presidential race closely. “Personally, I am glad to see him win. I’d never been so intrigued and inspired by a politician’s speech until I heard him. He gives out a message so powerful that I’ve been tempted to even read speech scripts since the primary and watch him on YouTube. His speeches make me feel that there is something I can do, too.”

Expectations are high for the new president. “Traditionally politicians tend to become more conservative in a crisis. But my expectations this time are that he would not go that way, but would pursue international cooperation and policies that are based on global interests. I hope to hear him elaborate on these issues as soon as possible,” says Mitsushige Tsuruno, who runs a business consultancy in Tokyo. Says Inoue: “I hope he will try to exert strong leadership not just domestically but globally.”

The news comes as Japan expects to see its own election in the near future, though the timing is still up in the air. Inoue feels Japan does not have strong political leaders who can deliver effective speeches and excite the public. Even so, Obama’s arrival at the White House has added to his expectation for Japanese politics to change somehow, he says. He was particularly impressed by the role Obama’s massive campaign volunteers and small donors played in the election, both of which hardly exist in Japan.

Sakata, a researcher at a think tank affiliated with Japan’s opposition party, says Obama’s campaign style has prompted a debate among his colleagues. “The crucial problem in Japan is that people tend to feel that [Japanese] politicians exist in a far away planet.” To see Mr. Obama reach out to American people underscored his impression that there is a gap between Japanese people and politicians that should be filled somehow, he says. Sakata has all the more reason to take the latest news seriously as Japan’s opposition party is seen having a chance of overtaking the majority of both houses, a watershed event. “[Obama’s victory] gives us a huge opportunity.

Meanwhile, one small city in northern Japan is having a field day, celebrating the election of Barack Obama as if it were in the United States. That’s because the city happens to share the same name as the new president: Obama City. The town started a voluntary campaign in February to root for the Senator as part of its effort to revitalize its aging port. On Wednesay, locals were serving up “Obama burgers” and performing with hula-hoops in city hall.