Key Points
- Supporters of the Japanese national football team cleaned up rubbish at Qatar's Khalifa International Stadium.
- The actions took place during and after their World Cup match win against Germany.
- It's part of a tradition that started in 2018.
It's been one of the viral moments of the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far: Japanese fans cleaning up at stadiums after the completion of matches.
Supporters of the Japanese national football team were seen cleaning up Qatar's Khalifa International Stadium after their win against Germany on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT).
Fans of the Japanese team, known as the Blue Samurai, distributed hundreds of rubbish bags and cleaned up rubbish during and after the match.
It's part of a tradition started by Blue Samurai fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, when they cleaned the stadium after a 3-2 loss against Belgium in the round of 16.
Heartbroken Japanese fans clean the stadium's stand after Japan was defeated by Belgium in the Round of 16 during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Rostov, Russia, 2 July 2018. Credit: Zhong zhenbin/AP
"We would have behaved the same way whether we won or lost this game against Germany," he said.
He said Japanese people learn the "importance of courtesy" from an early age.
"We must not forget to respect our opponents. I believe that they did that act because of the respect they had for everyone: players, coaches, referees, and staff," he said.
"I hope that the importance of that feeling will be conveyed to the world."
Mr Teramoto is a head coach for the Japanese-style football school in Sydney, which he says teaches respect and manners along with football.
"I teach children not only football, but also etiquette," he said.
"I am proud of the Japanese supporters. I hope that football will bring peace to the world. Thank you. Go, go. Japan!!"
Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Sydney, Dr Masafumi Monden, said Japanese children are taught in primary school to clean up after themselves.
"My understanding is, we are taught, from primary school, to keep what we use clean, for example, the classroom," he said.
"There is a Japanese saying “Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu,” literally: the bird taking flight doesn’t muddy its tracks," he said.
"This means when you leave a place, don’t leave it a mess, but leave it at least as clean as the condition you found it in.
"While, of course, not everyone follows that even in Japan, ideas like this are embedded into our thinking and practice, to show respect and value what we use."
Blue Samurai fans were also seen cleaning up rubbish after the opening match of this year's World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador.
Japan's next match is against Costa Rica on Sunday 27 November at 9pm AEDT.
