Japanese football supporters are famous for sweeping clean-up of their stadium stands after World Cup matches, a practice that earned them worldwide admiration.
However, this week a viral image showing a man clearing trash at the game while sitting back at home with laundry sparked an online storm. The image juxtaposed the man’s work outside with his inactivity inside, prompting comments that men spend far less time on household chores than women in Japan.
Statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) back the claim: in 2021, Japanese women spent over three hours a day on unpaid work, whereas men logged under 47 minutes. The disparity is especially stark for families with young children.
Some social media users criticised the format of the cleanup, arguing that Japan’s public spaces often litter after events, yet many defenders say the fan clean-ups should be celebrated as civic responsibility rather than pointed out as hypocrisy.
The trend has even rolled over to other countries, with Portuguese fans recently seen cleaning stadium stands in the same fashion, crediting the Japanese as pioneers of the practice.
