Regarding Japanese supporters picking up trash in the stands after the match between Japan and the Netherlands, the first match of Group F in the FIFA World Cup North America tournament, Hong Kong media outlet Hong Kong01 explained the background. The article ran a subheading asking, 'Japanese supporters continue the tradition of picking up trash after matches, why do they do such a thing?' It explained that 'after the Japan vs. Netherlands match, Japanese supporters once again drew the attention of the world's media. Post-match footage released by various media outlets showed many Japanese supporters not leaving immediately, but voluntarily cleaning up trash such as bento containers and drink cups scattered in the stands before departing the venue.' It also stated that 'FIFA posted a video on its official Instagram account, showing Japanese supporters wearing blue gloves and picking up trash, as well as trash bags full of beverage bottles.' It raised the question, 'Even though there are cleaning staff at the stadium, why do they bother to do such a thing?' and introduced the comment from a Japanese supporter featured in the video, who said, 'It's respect for the players, the supporters, the stadium, and everything that takes place on the pitch.' The article stated that 'the origin of this excellent tradition dates back to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Since then, in the 2018 Russia World Cup and the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Japanese supporters have consistently picked up stadium trash, maintaining cleanliness.' It also reported that 'even outside of the World Cup, Japanese supporters who attend matches where the Japanese national team is not playing sometimes voluntarily clean up around their seats and restore the venue to its original state before leaving.' Then, it explained, 'Japan has a famous proverb, "A bird standing leaves no trace," which means that when you leave a place, you should clean it up and not cause inconvenience to those who use it next.' 'Japanese people consider this a basic courtesy to be learned from childhood and practice this spirit proudly in their daily lives.' It concluded by saying, 'And this has become a heartwarming sight that is praised worldwide every four years at the World Cup.' (Translation/Editing by Kitada)

The reason Japan fans clean the stadium after each game. Respect. 🤝🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/o9qJUOLefY

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 15, 2026