Japan fans rewarded for stadium clean-ups

Japanese supporters pick up litter after the Japan-Germany match in Doha on Wednesday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

DOHA -- Japanese soccer fans have received an award from FIFA for picking up trash in stadiums, following the Samurai Blue's stunning victory against Germany in their World Cup opener in Doha on Wednesday.

After the Qatar-Ecuador match that kicked off the tournament on Nov. 20, Japanese supporters filled about 20 45-liter bags with empty plastic bottles, boxes and other kinds of trash.

Volunteers at the Japan-Germany game praised the efforts of the conscientious Samurai Blue fans, who even received a thank-you message via the public address system.

Hiroki Kohata, center, and a fellow Japanese supporter receive flowers and commemorative gifts at a ceremony in Doha on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

A World Cup organizing committee official expressed appreciation for the actions of the Japanese supporters at a ceremony in Doha on Thursday and said it would be great if such spirits were shared among the people of Qatar and other countries.

The official said Moroccan and Tunisian supporters have also been picking up litter at stadiums, apparently inspired by the efforts of Japanese fans.

Hiroki Kohata, a 22-year-old university student from Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, who collected trash at both the opening match and Japan's game, received flowers and commemorative gifts from FIFA.

"I feel strange receiving an award for doing nothing special," Kohata said. "It's part of Japanese culture, and I want to spread it around the world."

A tweet on FIFA's official Twitter account posted after Samurai Blue's victory read, "It's not only three points that Japan have in the bag."

Another FIFA tweet circulating on social media had a photo of the Japan team's changing room with the message: "After an historic victory against Germany at the #FIFAWorldCup on Match Day 4, Japan fans cleaned up their rubbish in the stadium, whilst the @jfa_samuraiblue left their changing room at Khalifa International Stadium like this. Spotless. Domo Arigato."

According to the team, staff and reserve players tidied up the changing room after Wednesday's match with dustpans and brooms they had brought with them from Japan.

Samurai Blue delegations have cleaned up changing rooms at past tournaments. This time, they also left origami cranes that match the motif on the team's 2022 World Cup uniforms.

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