Why This Topic Landed in Japan
Beating China at basketball has long been seen as an uphill task for Japan on physical grounds, so a 97-77 semifinal win — Japan's first Asian Games basketball final in 64 years, since the 1962 Jakarta Games — carried real weight (Japan then lost the final to South Korea for silver). What amplified it was a false score, "108-82, a big China win," that circulated on at least some Chinese sites, not mainstream outlets; in Japan it spread as proof that "they'll even fabricate a result." At the same time, the heavy presence of US-born and foreign-rooted players on the roster reignited a recurring argument — also heard around the ekiden long-distance relay — over whether this counts as "Japan's" feat. Some also grumbled that the historic game was not shown live on terrestrial TV.
Key Reaction Themes
- Sneering at the "108-82" fake report (most common) — Most mocked the fabricated score, saying "they fabricate the one thing you can't fabricate — a sports result," and likening it to "wartime press control."
- Unease over the "Team Japan" label — A sizable group said a roster of players who "clearly don't look Japanese" makes it hard to call the win Japan's own, tying it to the same debate around the ekiden.
- Genuine celebration — Others simply cheered the first final in 64 years, though this ran stronger on X than in the comment threads.
- Playing the win down — Some argued "97-77 isn't that big a blowout," that China wasn't at full strength or Japan fielded a second string, and to "beat the US first."
What Japanese Netizens Are Saying
Japan beats China 97-77 to reach its first final in 64 years
In the semifinal Japan defeated China, and reactions mixed pride with unease over the roster's foreign-rooted makeup.
Sources: Yahoo! news
Comments:
- "Yeah, love this."
- "Basketball's the thing from now on."
- "The younger generation is really putting in the work."
- "Calling them Team Japan when they clearly don't look Japanese makes no sense."
- "The B.League is full of foreigners, isn't it? That's what it comes down to."
- "Well, it is a Japanese team in that sense, but this kind of 'Japan's great feat' always feels off — rosters full of players who physically clearly aren't Japanese, the ekiden included, basketball included, all of it."
- "The other side is apparently in an uproar over this — not just in basketball, they're losing to Japan more and more."
- "Is 97-77 really that much of a blowout?"
- "You can't even tell what tournament this is, who each side fielded, or how serious they were — hard to just celebrate 'we got stronger!'..."
- "Against a desperate China, Japan rested Hachimura, Kawamura and the like and handled it with a second-string squad of B.League youngsters and college players, just enough not to lose."
- "No point strutting against weak opponents... at least beat the US before you celebrate."
- "They were losing to Mongolia not long ago; maybe the opponent just wasn't trying that hard."
China's side reports a false "108-82 China win"
Although Japan actually won, a false score — "108-82, a big China win" — spread on some Chinese pages and was shared in Japan.
🇨🇳が「国恥記念日」と指定した（満洲事変の日）9月18日、バスケ男子🇯🇵vs🇨🇳が行われた。 結果は、97対77で🇯🇵の勝ち。 しかし！ 🇨🇳メディアは「108対82で🇨🇳が大勝！」と嘘を流す。それも1社ではなく2社も！ 「国恥記念日」に国恥の上塗りでくやしいのうくやしいのうｗ
中國男籃在9月18日這天被日本2隊（主將全缺陣）痛宰，因為實在太難看，結果中國媒體竟然幹出乾脆寫假新聞這種事🤡 還不止一篇！
Sources: 2ch
Comments:
- "Is there any point in putting out a fake article like this...?"
- "Lol — of all things, they fabricate the one thing you can't fabricate: a sports result."
- "Surely it gets exposed instantly — there'll be highlights on YouTube and all..."
- "China's national sport is escapism, after all, lol."
- "What an incredible country — what they do is no different from wartime press control."
- "Doesn't it feel hollow to them?"
- "For all that height they're weak, lol. Astonishing."
- "It'd honestly be better not to report it at all."
- "No different from Japan's old media."
- "Have these guys ever actually beaten Japan?"
- "China really is a country that's always lying."
- "Japan won, huh — yesss! 🎌"
