– These pictures depict the Japanese people, says Petter Lindgren, researcher at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute and Japan expert, to news. When the referee blew the match between Germany and Japan, the supporters took a break from the celebration to clear the stands of rubbish – both their own and other people’s. The same happened after the opening match between host nation Qatar and Ecuador, when they decided to stay behind and clean up. Now pictures and videos of Japanese supporters are going viral on social media. – Japan is an impressively tidy country, and they are used to cleaning up after themselves. It is in their spinal cord, says Lindgren. OWN BAGS: The Japanese fans handed out trash bags to clean up trash before and after the match. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko / AP – They have respect The World Cup in Qatar is not the first championship where the Japanese get attention for cleaning up. During the World Cup in Russia four years ago, Japan’s supporters took plenty of time to clear the stands after their country was knocked out in the round of 16. According to Lindgren, the Japanese are very busy being good ambassadors for their country. He thinks that is one of the reasons why it is so important for them to clean up after themselves. – It is of course also about culture and respect. They respect the places they visit, and show it by cleaning up after themselves. Contributing collectively is so natural for them, because in Japan it is a collective responsibility to keep the streets clean, says Lindgren. He continues: – Nobody tells them that they have to clean, it’s something they just do. I would think it is strange for them to see how other nations behave in public when it comes to littering. Paying tribute to the players It’s not just the supporters who get praise for good attitudes. Fifa posted a photo of Japan’s dressing room after the match on its official Twitter account. The tweet has received over 69,000 likes and has been retweeted just under 23,000 times. – After a historic victory against Germany on the fourth day of the World Cup, the Japan fans cleaned up their rubbish, while the Japanese national team left the dressing room at the Khalifa International Stadium spotless. They should be thanked, wrote Fifa on Twitter. BRAGGING: Fifa bragged about the Japanese players for leaving behind a tidy dressing room. Photo: Screenshot from Twitter.com/@FIFAcom The American TV program ESPN FC published the image of the dressing room for Japan on its Facebook page, and at the time of writing the post has received 28,000 likes. Many people turn to the comments section to pay tribute to the Japanese. – The fact that the players clean the dressing room and fold their clothes before they leave does not surprise me. It is so natural for them, regardless of whether you are a supporter or a player, says Lindgren.
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Japan’s supporters clear the stands after the match – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
