*This content was translated by AI.
The North Korea delegation competing in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has arrived in Japan.
On the 11th, Kyodo News reported that "the North Korean football national team among the delegations participating in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games arrived at Kansai International Airport today."
According to the report, the North Korea delegation is expected to consist of approximately 180 people, including officials.
Kyodo News explained that this is "the largest-scale visit by a North Korean delegation to Japan for participation in a sports event."
The entry of the North Korea delegation into Japan itself drew significant attention.
As part of its independent sanctions on North Korea's nuclear and missile development, the Japanese government generally prohibits entry by North Korean nationals. However, exceptions have been made to allow entry for sports exchanges.
Kyodo News stated that "entry permission for the North Korean athletes who arrived today was completed on the 10th," and added that "it is understood that arrangements are underway for North Korea's Minister of Sports Kim Il-guk's visit to Japan."
The appearance of the North Korea delegation also drew considerable attention locally.
Earlier, Japanese TBS reported seeing athletes including the North Korea Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team arriving in Beijing, China, as a transit point.
TBS specifically described that "the athletes wore white jackets with blue pants or skirts and had North Korean flag badges pinned to their chests."
Brief exchanges also took place on site.
When a Japanese reporter asked a North Korea national athlete, "Are you going to the Asian Games?" the athlete did not give a long answer but simply replied with one word: "Yes."
Subsequently, the North Korea athletes moved from Beijing to Japan and began preparations for the Asian Games schedule, starting with the football national team.
North Korea's first match in this tournament will be against Bangladesh in women's football on the 14th.
Next, they will face Myanmar on the 17th, and on the 21st, they will play a "North-South match" against South Korea's Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team, coached by Shin Sang-woo.
The North Korea Nam Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team will also participate in the group stage. North Korea is in the same group as China (on the 16th), the United Arab Emirates (UAE·20th), and Iran (23rd) and aims to advance to the tournament round.
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*This content was translated by AI.
