U.S. presidential election politics don't normally resonate in rural Japan, but one sleepy town in the center of the country has an abiding interest in the outcome: Obama City in Fukui Prefecture (pop. 31,356).

The ancient town (whose name means "small shore" in Japanese) was the subject of much media coverage during the run-up to the 2008 election, but the camera crews are long gone and the posters supporting then-candidate Barack Obama that once adorned the town's lampposts have been removed.

"Four...