Junichiro Koizumi

Junichiro Koizumi, the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister in recent history (2001 - 2006), whose popularity earned him the nickname 'Jun-chan' (Jun is a contraction of his first name, chan a term of endearment, often between children), and who is incidentally a devoted fan of the legend with whom he shares a birthday - Elvis Presley - once said this:

'Did you know that the word "tsunami," which is now being used worldwide, is a Japanese word? This is indicative of the extent to which Japan has been subject to frequent tsunami disasters in the past.'