Ruby Newbie (pun not intended)

I am a newbie to the Ruby language. I saw the Pragmatic Programmer Ruby
guide at Barnes and Noble and took a look through it. Looks like a lot of
fun.

My question is, does Ruby support international characters? I am thinking it
sure does (since it is used in Japan), but basically, how and are there any
links to any resources for this?

thanks

-John