'Historic Women's Basketball Championship for Korea, Why Was There No Broadcast?' Japan Explodes in Anger "It Was a Legendary Match..." [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan failed to even watch Korean women's basketball on terrestrial television. When the highly anticipated final match between South Korea and Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was excluded from live broadcast, Japanese basketball fans expressed strong sighs of frustration and anger.

On the 27th, the Japanese media outlet "The Digest" reported that "fans were deeply disappointed because there was no terrestrial live broadcast for the women's basketball final between South Korea and Japan," adding that "fans are unable to understand why a final match would not be aired on terrestrial TV."

The Japanese national team aimed to reclaim the Asian Games title for the first time since the 1998 Bangkok tournament, 28 years later. Their opponent was rival South Korea, which had defeated powerhouse China 85-80 in the semi-finals.

Following another historic final between South Korea and Japan after Nam Ja (CEO)'s victory, attention was focused on this match. However, TBS, the official broadcaster for this tournament, did not air the South Korea-Japan game held on the afternoon of the 26th at 7:20 p.m. on terrestrial TV but instead offered only paid streaming via an online video-on-demand service (OTT).

With even the final match of the tournament held at home disappearing from TV screens, local fans' frustrations boiled over. Fans expressed their disappointment by saying, "We wanted to watch it on terrestrial TV," "Why is there no terrestrial broadcast for a final?" "Please schedule it now," "We missed this top-tier matchup after such a long time," and "Broadcasting such an excellent match live would attract more fans."

Other fans criticized the situation, stating that "concentrating broadcasting rights in the hands of a very limited number of broadcasters has become a decisive factor in dampening the excitement of the tournament."

Amid this controversy, South Korea emerged as the winner of the final. Under the leadership of coach Park Soo-ho, the Korean women's national team defeated Japan 75-70 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on the 26th to claim the gold medal.

With this victory, Korean women's basketball returned to the top for the first time since the 2014 Incheon tournament, 12 years later. Alongside Nam Ja (CEO), which had previously defeated Japan to win the title, South Korea achieved a historic dual championship victory by men's and women's teams after 12 years.

South Korea launched an explosive offensive from the first quarter, taking a commanding 27-15 lead and extending it to 42-23 at halftime with a 19-point advantage, seizing early control. Although the gap widened to as much as 20 points in the third quarter, Japan's fierce comeback in the fourth quarter, led by Suzuno Higuchi's three-pointers and Miyu Okamoto's fast breaks, narrowed the score to 66-62, just four points apart.

At the crucial moments, Korean players demonstrated exceptional focus. Lee Hae-ran anchored the paint with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Kang I-seul added firepower with 21 points and seven rebounds. Lee So-hee also contributed significantly with 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists. With just 16.6 seconds remaining and trailing by two points at 72-70, South Korea secured a five-point victory as Kang I-seul and Lee Hae-ran calmly converted free throws earned through a foul strategy.

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*This content was translated by AI.