HONG KONG - Hong Kong football fans are rooting for the Japan national team in the 2026 World Cup, where the Samurai Blue have advanced to the knock-out phrase in the round of 32, despite ongoing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over a diplomatic row.
The semiautonomous Chinese region saw a surge in viewing parties for Japan's matches in the current tournament, with streets dotted with people wearing the iconic Samurai Blue national soccer team jerseys.
Among the hosts of such parties was the Japan Football Supporters Club Hong Kong, which drew around 1,000 spectators to a shopping mall equipped with a large screen display in the commercial district of Mong Kok for the Japan-Tunisia match on June 21.
Cheers erupted whenever Japan scored as they went on to win the game 4-0.
Middle school teacher Chris Chan, 27, wore a jersey with striker Ayase Ueda's name on the back, saying he was "fond of its team spirit."
"My interest in the Japanese team stemmed from the 2018 World Cup," he added. "I was deeply moved when they lost to Belgium in the round of 16, and that's when I became a fan."
Office clerk Jennifer Lai in her 30s turned up with her pet poodle, both donning Japan's national team jersey to the match.
"Despite the physical size differences, the Japanese team can still compete with other teams from Europe," she said. "They work hard to overcome the gap, so I like them very much."
Since the tournament began on June 11, the Japan Football Supporters Club Hong Kong, which was established in 2023, has seen its membership increase from 500 to 700, according to founder Taro Wong.
Hong Kong's football team is ranked 156th in the world at present. It has never qualified for a World Cup.
Football fans in the former British colony previously paid particular attention to left-winger Kaoru Mitoma and midfielder Wataru Endo, both of whom play in the English Premier League. However, neither Mitoma nor Endo are playing in the tournament due to injuries.
A man in his 40s who was walking the streets in a jersey bearing the name of winger Junya Ito said he does not care the worsening relations between Japan and China over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on a Taiwan emergency.
Last November, Yasu Sport, a shop selling J-League and Japan national football team jerseys opened in Mong Kok. Shop manager Tim Leung said the national team jerseys were selling well around the time of the World Cup's opening.
"Many people who buy the jerseys like Japanese culture," he said, adding the robust sales are related to the Samurai Blue's strength.
Football matches in Hong Kong have been met with anti-China sentiments since the 2019 anti-government protests, during which the Chinese national anthem was booed.
In 2020, Hong Kong authorities passed a bill outlawing any insult of the national anthem. There has not been a movement among Hong Kong football fans to root for the mainland China team, which failed to qualify for this year's World Cup.
