\n ![\"Japan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/445964.jpg\")
\n <\/a>
\n Japan fans clear trash in the stands during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match against the Netherlands at Dallas Stadium, Arlington, U.S., June 14, 2026. (AFP Photo) <\/p>\nNFL quarterback Jameis Winston was even seen joining the cleanup after Sunday\u2019s game, wearing a blue Japan shirt with his name on the back.<\/p>\n
Japan fan Futo Hagiwara said he was proud the behavior of his countrymen had been recognized in a positive light.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our culture, which means everywhere we go we clean up after ourselves. It is our spiritual way, our attitude,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sociologist and philosopher Masachi Ohsawa believes a mix of social responsibility and peer pressure is behind the fans\u2019 behavior.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Japanese people tend not to take much interest in justice on a large scale, issues like global inequality, conflict or climate change, they are extremely sensitive to moral considerations on a smaller scale,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to people they share the same space with or have direct personal contact with, they feel a strong desire not to cause them trouble or make them uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
School of life<\/p>\n
Cleaning chores are part of Japanese education from an early age, with children often scrubbing floors and tables at school each day.<\/p>\n
Public waste bins are scarce in the country, and people are expected to take their rubbish home.<\/p>\n
Getting rid of household waste can be a complex task that involves separating rubbish into different categories.<\/p>\n
Scott North, an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Osaka, said he and his neighbors get together twice a year to pull out weeds and rake up cuttings.<\/p>\n
He said such groups are organized into leaders and followers and operate in a similar way to Japanese football supporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince everyone comes together, there\u2019s an expectation that they\u2019ll act as a group,\u201d said North, an American who has lived in Japan for about 40 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when the leaders bring out the bags and say, \u2018Here you go,\u2019 nobody is going to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sociologist Ohsawa said such behavior could be explained by what Japanese people refer to as \u201creading the air.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Japan, even if one person starts picking up litter, those around them feel they simply cannot help but join in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because if they don\u2019t, the people they are with will think they are a bad person.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said peer pressure is a powerful social force.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this case, the primary motivation is not so much a desire to keep the stadium clean or avoid causing trouble for stadium workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is more a desire not to be seen as a nuisance within one\u2019s own group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever the reasons, Japan\u2019s fans will continue tidying up as long as their team remains in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Their next game is against Tunisia in Mexico on Saturday, and Hagiwara said he is happy to keep leading by example.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe usually don\u2019t tell children they should do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just show our actions and behavior, and other people follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
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