Our dream: A world united through football.

Asia’s first-ever FIFA World Cup™ was to be hosted by a pair of up-and-coming football nations where a European-style football culture had yet to take hold. 2002 was also the first time for two countries to co-host the tournament. Inevitably there was anxiety in the run-up to the event.

Once the tournament kicked off, however, the world saw how good the Japanese fans were at making overseas visitors feel at home, rooting not just for their own national team but for other countries’ teams as well. In fact, the Japanese proved such friendly hosts that the 2002 tournament was nicknamed the "World Cup of Smiles."

Japanese fans wore England jerseys and supported the England squad. The residents of Kumamoto, where Belgium had its training camp, even cheered for the Belgians—despite their being Japan’s adversary. This was a classic example of the Japanese gift for empathy and putting themselves in other people’s shoes.

The overseas supporters were surprised and delighted. They went home with stories about the good nature of the Japanese fans, whether it was their helping clean up the stadiums after matches or offering to do laundry at their homes for visitors who couldn’t figure out the machines in Japanese launderettes.

The attitude of the Japanese hosts has been a source of inspiration for subsequent tournaments. The Japanese set a new benchmark for staging the FIFA World Cup™.

Given their unfortunate history, Japan and Korea have not always enjoyed cordial relations despite their geographical proximity. But partnering to host the FIFA World Cup™ helped improve the relationship, changing them from "near yet distant" to "near and close" countries. The 2002 FIFA World Cup™ marked a significant turning point in Japanese-Korean relations.