Chinese fans lambast Brighton's Japanese star over Imperial Japan soldier post

BEIJING (AFP): Chinese football fans have condemned Brighton and the Premier League side's Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma after a social media post showed him smiling and holding an image of the last Japanese soldier to surrender in World War II.

Millions of Chinese were killed during the brutal fight against Imperial Japanese forces, whose record of massacre, rape and looting still strains relations between Beijing and Tokyo.


Brighton & Hove Albion's academy apologised Saturday after the post -- which showed Mitoma posing with a young player and a mocked-up football card featuring Imperial Army officer Hiroo Onoda -- caused an outcry.

At noon on Monday the topic "Premier League team apologises to Chinese fans" was the top-trending item on Chinese social media platform Weibo and had been viewed more than 15 million times.

There are actually Premier League teams that support fascists," read the top-liked comment under a post by state-backed tabloid The Global Times.

Others called for Brighton to terminate Japanese international Mitoma's contract.

"It is hoped Chinese football fans won't let him off the hook. We must make him understand our resolve, learn a lesson, or else there will be more Kaoru Mitomas who raise their heads," another commenter said.

is not clear how the image of Onoda, an officer who refused to believe World War II was over and waged a guerrilla campaign in the Philippine jungle for three decades, came to be made into a football card.

Brighton said the picture of Mitoma holding it was taken at an event leading up to the Premier League Christmas Truce Tournament, which sees under-12 players from eight English clubs compete against European ones.

The tournament is named for an impromptu December 25 truce in World War I, when British and German soldiers met in no-man's land, with some playing football together.

The Premier League describes the competition as an event where youth players can gain "understanding of the historical events that shaped our world".

Brighton apologised for "offence caused in China

We hugely value our fans in China and had no intention of causing any offence," the club's youth academy said in the post on X on Saturday.

The statement was reposted by the club's main account.

Mitoma, who has been capped 29 times by the Japanese men's national team, has not commented publicly.

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo are particularly testy after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. - AFP

We hugely value our fans in China and had no intention of causing any offence," the club's youth academy said in the post on X on Saturday.

The statement was reposted by the club's main account.

Mitoma, who has been capped 29 times by the Japanese men's national team, has not commented publicly.

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo are particularly testy after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. - AFP

https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanp...an-soldier-post

This post has been edited by 3damansarautama: Dec 2 2025, 09:19 AM

ban EPL LOL

FIFA fair play

ban ban ban semua kasi ban

I kasi drills

I don't get the recent glass-hearted chinese episode.

They've been churning out military propaganda saying their might would rival USA, yada yada.
Then negara kecil like Japan cakap mau involve militarily suddenly the chinese start cyring.
Why? Can butt heads with superpower military the size of US but suddenly becomes an issue with Japan's?

Not like Japan was previously China camp but turned traitor for US either. Them taking US side is pretty much expected.

Anyway Hiroo Onoda mus be commended for his loyalty & sacrifice to his country's cause, eventhough it was wrong at that time. He was a dedicated soldier who did wat he had to do.

puak butthurt hati tisu

i dont think you understand the gravity of how much Chinese suffered during Japanese Occupation by calling them "glass hearted" over WW2 matters

bro, they lost over 30mil people during that occupation, and you wonder why are they angry when people are glorifying the other side

All the wolf/panda warrior and war cry are just insecurity. CCP are like a teenager baru nak up. It's a phase all eventual superpower will undergo.

Sudah terbalas dah...
Japan ate two nukes and total annihilation in ww2.

Tak cukup?

Siapa yang buat kad tu? Why must drag politics and war issue to football?

Everything is also a propaganda tool?

good let the butthurt flow.

I can imagine florian wirtz holding an adolf hitler card

Nobody cares... unless you start to mention Taiwan...

inb4 my grandpa said because of unit 731, tak cukup, must end all of them

but still 30million lives are lost and never to return

Issit even a real card and not photoshopped?

Why the soldier even appear on a football event lol?

Mao caused same amount of death and are still revered in China.

Until the PRCs dig out his grave and spit on him they can cry me a river.

Ya, that looks strange to me, some dead jap soldier on the card.

What is the purpose?