A room full of 110 Democrats applauded, set off noisemakers and toasted with sparkling wine at a Tokyo restaurant Wednesday when Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election was announced at 1 p.m. on the big-screen TV.
"We've been waiting for this for eight years," Lauren Shannon, chairwoman of Democrats Abroad Japan, told the enthusiastic crowd at the Baron Restaurant in Nishi-Azabu in Minato Ward. "I'm really excited for the next four years."
Democrats believe Americans are "basically sick of the Republican government," said Will Lautenshlager, 33, who is studying for his master's degree in art history at Sophia University. "We are sick of everything. Foreign policy, first and foremost."