FIFA WC Qualifiers: Japan Warns Fans Not To Travel To North Korea

Japan has warned football fans not to travel to North Korea for next week's World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang.

The Tokyo foreign ministry "strongly requests the general public to refrain" from attending the match on March 26, the first for the two sides in North Korea since 2011.

"As you know, North Korea takes a hostile view of Japan and travel is not recommended for the general public," it wrote on social media.

Japan and North Korea play in Tokyo on Thursday as part of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, before the return fixture next week.

Japan's long-standing advice for its nationals is not to travel to North Korea but it does not expressly forbid them from doing so. The two countries do not have diplomatic relations.