China’s Table Tennis Team Celebrates Championship with National Anthem as Harimoto Tomokazu Stands Silent, While His Sister Applauds Quietly

On the evening of December 7, the Chinese national table tennis team delivered a commanding performance in the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup final, defeating Japan 8–1 to claim the championship. During the post-match award ceremony, however, some Japanese players—led by Tomokazu Harimoto—came under public scrutiny for what was perceived as a lack of courtesy.

China dominated the final from the very start. In the mixed doubles, the Chinese pair swept their opponents 3–0, followed by another emphatic 3–0 victory in the women’s singles. After just two matches, China had already surged to a 6–0 lead. In the third match, the men’s singles, Tomokazu Harimoto failed to display his usual fighting form and was defeated 2–1 by Lin Shidong.

With this victory, China secured its third consecutive Mixed Team World Cup title. Japan, meanwhile, suffered another loss to China following their earlier defeat in the men’s team semifinals at the Asian Championships. The disappointment among the Japanese players was evident after the match as they stepped onto the podium alongside China and Germany, who finished second and third respectively.

After the athletes and coaches received their medals, the Chinese national anthem was played. Everyone in the arena stood as the red flag was raised slowly to the stirring melody. On the podium, the Chinese players and coaching staff sang the anthem with pride.

When the anthem concluded, the Chinese and German teams, along with the audience, broke into applause. In the front row of the Japanese lineup, four female players also joined in, with Hina Hayata leading the applause, followed closely by Miwa Harimoto.

However, the scene took on a different tone in the back row. Four Japanese players and one coach remained silent, offering no applause. Throughout the ceremony, Tomokazu Harimoto appeared visibly tense and expressionless, seemingly still struggling to come to terms with the loss.

In a post-match interview, Harimoto admitted that he experienced many difficult moments during the tournament in Chengdu but chose not to elaborate. He also stated that, in truth, he had anticipated such challenges even before facing the Chinese team.