Japan, the Asian team of the last Asian Cup, will start the final week of this year's tournament on Sunday (14), facing Vietnam in the first match of Group D. The earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture earlier this month has affected the hearts of the "Blue Samurai" players. The earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan at the beginning of the month has touched the hearts of the Blue Samurai players, and at a pre-match press conference on Sunday (13th), head coach Mori Bokichi expressed his hope that the Japanese team's performance will bring joy to the victims.
After the earthquake in Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan earlier this month, Koichi Mori said that the whole Blue Samurai team is very concerned about the disaster and believes that the Japanese team has a special responsibility this time: "The earthquake on New Year's Day has caused many deaths and injuries locally in Japan, and a lot of people have been affected in their own homes, so as a soccer team, what we can do is to play well and inspire the affected Japanese citizens and people who have been affected by the war in the world. As a soccer team, what we can do is to play well and inspire the affected Japanese people, as well as those affected by the war around the globe, and use soccer to bring joy to everyone. As a traditional Asian powerhouse, Japan continues to be considered the favorite to win the tournament, and Mori said, "Our goal is to win the championship, but we have to take it one game at a time.
