The 2004 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup is considered the first example in the field of sports where China’s negative sentiment toward Japan was expressed on a large scale.
At the time, anti-Japanese sentiment in China was fueled by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (81), who came to power in 2001, annually visiting Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals were commemorated.
Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to Japanese soldiers who died between 1868 and 1954. It is a place that cannot be viewed favorably by China as it overlaps with the periods of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), and the Battle of Tsingtao (1914).
In China, which hosted the 2004 Asian Cup, Japan suffered numerous hardships, including ▲ the soccer team’s bus being surrounded, ▲ stones being thrown at the cheering squad and reporters, and ▲ an official vehicle carrying the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Japanese Embassy in China being attacked.
Japan began discharging radioactive contaminated water from the first nuclear power plant, which has been occurring since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011, into the Pacific Ocean on August 24, 2023. At the Chinese professional soccer field, supporters are seen expressing anti-Japanese sentiment.
In the 2023-24 AFC Champions League, the Japanese soccer team will travel to China for three games, including ▲Urawa Reds vs. Wuhan Sanjeon on September 20th, ▲Yokohama F. Marinos vs. Shandong Taishan on October 3rd, and ▲Banforet Kofu vs. Zhejiang on October 25th. am.
Japan’s ‘Tokyo Sports Shimbun’ said, “The Fukushima contaminated water discharge issue also has an impact on soccer. “There are anxious voices questioning whether the safety of the Asian Champions League matches being played in China, where anti-Japanese sentiment is rising, will be guaranteed,” the report said.바카라
‘Tokyo Sports Shimbun’ said, “Concerns are growing that sports competitions in China are dangerous. He expressed concern, saying, “For the Japanese soccer team players, this may be the first ordeal they face in their lives.”
The Japanese national team won the 2004 Asian Cup by defeating China in the final. This is why more attention is being paid to how J-League clubs will play the AFC Champions League away games in China.