Samurai Blue’s Nagatomo Visits the Governor After World Cup

On September 15, 2026, FC Tokyo’s Nagatomo Yuto, a member of the Japanese national team that advanced to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, visited Governor Koike to report on the team’s performance.

The governor said, “Even though it was the middle of the night, so many people cheered on. And since FC Tokyo is a team of Tokyo, I am very happy that one of its players competed for Japan on the world stage.” 

She added, “I’m not sure how far back, but in the early days, there were doubts about whether Japan could ever stand up to the world’s powerful teams. Yet year after year, they’ve grown stronger, producing many footballers who play overseas. And now, those players are representing Japan in the FIFA World Cup. We’ve all witnessed this evolution, and I sincerely hope they will continue to do their best in the future.”