SHANGHAI ¨C In a packed Shanghai sports bar, Chinese soccer fans erupted in frenzied delight as Japan¡¯s Ayase Ueda looped a header over Tunisia¡¯s goalkeeper to secure a 4-0 win in a World Cup group match.
China isn¡¯t the most obvious place for Japan fandom to thrive ¡ª the two countries¡¯ historical animosity is never far from the surface and relations have been tense since conservative?Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office in Tokyo last year.
But for the dozens of blue-jerseyed Chinese supporters in the bar on Sunday afternoon glued to Japan¡¯s every move on massive screens, their love of the soccer team has a long personal history, completely detached from politics.
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