<figure id="attachment_274945" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274945" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5b23578d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/a5d0642ba47165f4a523e6b5c1c238fb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274945" class="wp-caption-text">The seashore of Nauru. Because large vessels could not dock due to the shallow waters, phosphate ore was loaded onto transport vessels using a &#8220;cantilever,&#8221; a crane-like machine.</figcaption></figure>
 On November 5, the Republic of Nauru, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean about 5,000 km southeast of Japan, achieved a remarkable feat. The number of followers of the official Twitter account of the &#8220;Republic of Nauru Tourism Bureau Japan Office&#8221; exceeded 400,000.
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 The Republic of Nauru is the &#8220;world&#8217;s smallest republic&#8221; with a population of 10,000 and an area of 21.1㎢ (about the same size as Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo). There are no direct flights from Japan, and the only way to enter the country is by connecting flight from Brisbane, Australia, via Nauru Airlines. Why has Twitter in such a small country become so popular far away from Japan? The reason, of course, is that the official Twitter is very interesting.
 Q. Can I visit Nauru Island in one day?　A. It takes 4 hours on foot.&#8221; In addition, the company has placed train advertisements on the Toden Arakawa Line (Tokyo Sakura Tram) with the word &#8220;Nauru&#8221; written in large letters on them.
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 We asked the &#8220;person in charge&#8221; of Twitter about his path to 400,000 followers.
 In early &#8217;20, the idea of creating a Japan office was discussed, and after a Cabinet decision in September, Twitter was launched on October 1. The Japan office was completely run on a volunteer basis and had no quota, so I was hoping to reach the same level as the population, but within a week, the number of followers reached 20,000. Within a week, the number of followers reached 20,000, and it has grown to this level in no time at all. I think the most significant response came during the Tokyo Olympics last summer. There were people posting doubts that Nauru didn&#8217;t really exist, so I said, &#8216;We&#8217;ll prove it during the Olympics. Then, at the opening ceremony, I tweeted, &#8216;The Republic of Nauru enters,&#8217; and it got about 160,000 likes at once.
 In July of this year, the Republic of Nauru faced a crisis. About half of the population was infected with a new type of coronavirus.
 We had 100% of the population vaccinated, and we had strict quarantine measures in place. However, thanks to the efforts of the government, the number of infected people has been reduced to almost 0% of the current population. The Japan office has also created a charity badge and collected about 4 million yen in donations. We will discuss this money with the government and ensure that it is used properly for Nauru.
 Due to the anti-Corona measures, the Republic of Nauru is currently restricting the number of tourists it accepts. However, according to the &#8220;middleman,&#8221; discussions are being held within the government to lift the restrictions as soon as possible. If you can afford the schedule and the cost, by all means! The &#8220;inside man&#8221; said, &#8220;If you can afford the schedule and the cost, please come and visit us! I would like to visit the smallest republic in the world at least once.
<figure id="attachment_274949" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274949" style="width: 1965px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7dbd26ff"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/1dad6574f1daa67ee7ed569709a27ce3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274949" class="wp-caption-text"> The straight line distance from Japan is about 5,000 km. It is closer than Hawaii, but there are no direct flights.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_274948" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274948" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="17050cb7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/02e5458a208fad38d0ac55a8d545904f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274948" class="wp-caption-text"> The overall view of the Republic of Nauru from the window of Nauru Airlines. It is the third smallest country in the world after the Vatican and Monaco.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_274944" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274944" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f405a737"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/dd6fe8e93e14a227e91bb807696a2ff1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274944" class="wp-caption-text"> A phosphate mining site. The country used to prosper from the export of phosphate ore, which was free of all taxes, but has now been depleted.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_274947" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274947" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6e6cc4ef"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/bd1a057f73deb44352240646a4b4a96a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274947" class="wp-caption-text"> The &#8220;Tour de Nauru&#8221; held in September. People of all ages and genders enjoyed the race.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_274946" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274946" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f561698b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/b197cd9736de5158105cb63bb4b798ba.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274946" class="wp-caption-text"> Coconut fish,&#8221; Nauru&#8217;s soul food, is made by adding tuna, lime, and onions to coconut milk as needed.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_274943" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-274943" style="width: 1886px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c1cd96cc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/dfdba3c19b8b6fc5243bc0110b617ca3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-274943" class="wp-caption-text"> The sea around Nauru Island is rich in fish, with tuna and skipjack tuna. Tuna migrate around there.</figcaption></figure>
 From the November 25, 2022 issue of FRIDAY

 From the official Twitter feed of the Tourism Bureau of the Republic of Nauru

 The Republic of Nauru, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean, has over 400,000 followers on its official Twitter account! The reason is the ingenious PR skills of the "people in the middle. Why not visit this peaceful tropical country shrouded in mystery?

The “Man in the Middle” Reveals How the “Republic of Nauru” Gained 400,000 Followers

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