Obama teaches Japanese English
Published: 20 January, 2009, 22:40
AFP Photo / Yoshikazu Tsuno
Barack Obama has only just been sworn into office but his speeches are already bestsellers around the world.
His English-language book, “The Speeches of Barack Obama,” has sold more than 400,000 copies in less than two months in Japan.
The book's success is even more surprising considering that in Japan very few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.
The Japanese are keen to learn English and many bookstores have a section dedicated to dozens of books in the language. Many of them are now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.
Speeches by President George W. Bush and former nominee John Kerry's which went on sale four years ago did not have the same appeal and neither do those of Japanese politicians.
“In Japan, we don't have politicians who have such a positive influence. That's why we have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes,” says Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling book.
The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.
Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel that includes Obama's inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will feature President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.
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