The recent heckling of Japanese by Chinese fans at the Asian Cup soccer tournament should not be linked to political issues between the two nations, the government said Tuesday, trying to calm tempers in Tokyo.
Japan's national team was booed when the players took to the pitch for games in Chongqing, China, and Japanese fans were also verbally abused.
But on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a regular afternoon news conference, "It's premature to associate soccer games with political issues between Japan and China."