Why This Topic Landed in Japan

Japan-Korea football carries decades of charged rivalry, layered with Korean criticism of the "rising sun" flag and a long memory of anti-Japan sports coverage. When Korean media pinned the team's elimination on Japan's draw with Sweden — framed as "the Japan that refused to help" — Japanese netizens treated it as fresh confirmation of a familiar stereotype of blame-shifting. The practical question of whether Asia's World Cup slots might shrink added extra fuel.

Key Reaction Themes

  • Disbelief at the blame-shifting — Cold ridicule at the idea of pinning an own failure on an unrelated Japan, summed up as simply "pathetic."
  • Mockery of the domestic chaos — The cancelled homecoming, the coach's store bans, and abuse of foreign players were laughed off as a lack of sportsmanship.
  • A cooler minority view — A few urged restraint: "the players should be welcomed home warmly," and "Japan's own sports bashing is no better."

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

Group-stage exit and the "Japan refused to help us" coverage

Reactions to Korean media blaming Japan's draw for the team's failure to advance.

Sources: Yahoo! news, 2ch

Comments:

  • "If Korea were just weak that'd be one thing, but blaming Japan for failing to reach the knockouts — that national character is too pathetic."
  • "Has Korea ever once helped Japan with anything?"
  • "I never imagined I'd enjoy a Congo match that has nothing to do with Japan this much."
  • "Stop looking over here."
  • "They couldn't win, that's their own fault — aren't they ashamed of blaming another country?"
  • "Instead of blaming others, lament your own lack of ability."
  • "An individual griping is one thing, but a broadcaster doing this is just not okay."
  • "This means Asia's slots get cut, which is bad for Japan too."
  • "Congo was amazing, congratulations."
  • "Will Korea, as always, demand an apology and compensation from Japan? lol"

Cancelled homecoming and the coach banned from convenience stores

Reactions to the unusual cancellation of the homecoming ceremony and the extreme bashing of the coach back in Korea.

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ライブドアニュース
@livedoornews
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【北中米W杯】1次L敗退の韓国、ホン・ミョンボ監督への批判集中「出禁」にするレストラン、コンビニも news.livedoor.com/article/detail… 同国では、レストランに「ホン・ミョンボは出入り禁止」と書かれた案内文が掲載され話題に。コンビニやカフェなどにも同様の張り紙をする店舗が相次いでいるという。

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Sources: Yahoo! news, Yahoo! news, 2ch, 2ch

Comments:

  • "Going home earlier than Japan must really sting for them."
  • "They'll get eggs thrown at them at the airport, right?"
  • "The ones who feel it most are the players, so welcome them home warmly."
  • "If they held a ceremony, jeers and eggs would come flying — makes sense."
  • "And this isn't some mom-and-pop shop, it's a nationwide chain — like Lawson banning [Japan coach] Moriyasu in Japanese terms."
  • "Getting this worked up over mere football."
  • "A clerk telling him 'you're Hong Myung-bo, so no entry' — how merciless, that's hilarious."
  • "Sports bashing in Japan is pretty much the same."
  • "Getting dead serious over kicking a ball around — who cares."
  • "I thought 'have some respect for someone who worked hard,' but if he's a power-harassing coach there's no sympathy — a boss who poisons the team atmosphere, what's he doing."

Korean fans taking it out on a rival player

Reactions to the flood of abuse Korean fans aimed at the Uzbekistan defender who conceded the decisive penalty.

Sources: THE ANSWER

Comments:

  • "Normally you'd complain to your own Korean players, but Koreans complaining about a foreign player makes no sense — Koreans can only rely on others and shift blame."
  • "Blaming others? It's a simple game where you just have to win."
  • "The losers' howling, lol."
  • "Korea might get hit with a FIFA ban like China did."
  • "Japanese people may praise foreign players but never complain about them — complaining changes nothing and is just miserable and hollow. Korea and China are shameless peoples who can only complain."
  • "It's because you're bad at football, lol."
  • "Japan's national team should've just taken them down directly. 🇯🇵"
  • "Nobody even cares about the football — TV really has become obsolete, huh."