Staff writer
More than a year after it was decided that Japan and South Korea would cohost the 2002 World Cup, preparations for the event are creating a chasm between residents and the government in Oita Prefecture.
Many residents initially embraced the selection of Oita City as one of Japan's 10 World Cup sites, but some have since changed their tune and are at loggerheads with the prefectural government over the plan to construct a retractable dome and sports park. "At first, everyone was excited" about winning the right to host the matches, said Hiroshi Yukino, a member of a civic group protesting the construction.