Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima called Japan's health care workers "our national team" on Saturday and pleaded for people to support them following his own bout with the new coronavirus.
Speaking to reporters online, Tashima, who was hospitalized for two weeks starting on March 16, suggested the people who cared for him are not always treated as well as they should be and that the Japanese people could do more to help by working from home.
"Health care professionals are in the front line, fighting the invisible enemy," he said. "One hears that they and their families are suffering from discrimination and prejudice. That can't be tolerated."