The rapidly growing popularity of Japanese basketball and its men's national team has brought fans from the country to China for the FIBA World Cup.
Longtime basketball fan Atsushi Kawai was one of many eager Akatsuki Five fanatics wearing vivid red Japan T-shirts at Shanghai Oriental Sports Arena long before Sunday's Group E game between Japan and Turkey.
The Aichi Prefecture native is actually a former 3x3 national team player for his native country. But he said it was "incredible" to see Japan in China participating in the sport's premier stage.