Prime Minister Kishida’s Twitter post on “Direct Message to World Cup Coach Moriyasu” is a popular response.

In the early morning of December 2, the Japanese archipelago was filled with joy.

Japan, which had seemed certain to be eliminated from the tournament, defeated the powerful Spanish team to advance to the final round of the tournament (top 16) for the second consecutive time, finishing first in Group E. “We scored first against Spain in the first half,” said Prime Minister Kishida, “but we were unable to beat them.

In the first half, Spain scored first and a sense of hopelessness was in the air, but in the second half, midfielder Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka both scored, leading to a come-from-behind victory. The second goal, in particular, looked as if it would have been scored on the goal line, but Kaoru Mitoma turned it back to the center of the field just in time for Tanaka to slide in and score.

It was a difficult decision, but a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) check revealed that the ball was still on the line. A big, big extra point was awarded to Japan,” said a soccer journalist.

If the ball had gone out 1 cm or even 1 mm further, it might have been a “no goal. It was truly the “Miracle of Doha.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also updated his Twitter account at 6:02 a.m. right after the match ended.

Congratulations to the team on their first-place finish in the World Cup group leagues! Congratulations to Coach Moriyasu and all the players for a great result in a game that was played under a lot of pressure. I would like to express my deepest respect to all of you for your hard work. I would like to share the joy of this success with all the people of Japan.

I would like to share my joy with the people of Japan.

Two hours later, he called Hajime Moriyasu and Kozo Tajima, president of the Japan Football Association, directly and said

I am very happy for you, Director! The whole of Japan is very excited right now. Thank you very much for giving us courage and energy. The uniforms with the signatures of all the players that you gave us are on display in the Prime Minister’s Office. I will continue to cheer them on as I look at them, so please do your best in the next game.

He posted a scene of him expressing his support and gratitude on Twitter.

Someone was filming Prime Minister Kishida making a phone call in the video at close range, and it even had a stern and dynamic background music. I don’t know if he had permission from the other party, but what he was saying to Moriyasu was captured on video and posted as it was.

He must have been very happy. The prime minister usually reads his answers to the Diet or at press conferences in a barbed voice, but it was rare that he seemed to be expressing his emotions.

However, in the comment section of Prime Minister Kishida’s post, he wrote

“Please make it a national holiday.
“Mr. Kishida, next time it’s your turn!

and “Mr. Kishida, it’s your turn next!

“I guess you can just raise taxes and make phone calls right away without even considering it.
“It’s just a performance to regain support.

There are also those who are harshly critical of his taking advantage of the situation, with comments flooding in, such as “He’s sloppy in managing his own political funds.

The comments are flooding in. “For Prime Minister Kishida, whose approval rating is at an all-time low due to his own sloppy management of political funds and the domino effect of the resignation of cabinet ministers, this was definitely a material that he wanted on his side. He even went to the trouble of having the video filmed and edited with background music.

Sports and politics have always had a close relationship, for example, to promote national prestige. Well, I can understand why Prime Minister Kishida wants to be a part of this national celebration…” (Political journalist)

Moriyasu Japan has been preparing for the match against Croatia with the aim of reaching the last eight. I wonder if Prime Minister Kishida’s encouragement was a boost to the eleven….