Sports
World Cup Final Four, a TV Slip-Up, and an Mbappé Feud: Japan's Take on Global Sports Drama
Three international-sports threads ran at once in Japan: the 2026 World Cup semifinalists (France, Spain, England, Argentina) prompted 'same old crowd' takes and calls for a dark horse; celebrity Shoko Nakagawa's garbled 'France World Cup, watched it on local TV' line became a nitpicking game; and a Paraguayan senator's 'utterly repugnant man' jab at Mbappé drew scorn — aimed at the senator. The tone stayed light and consumption-driven.