Japan boss blasts World Cup haters, eyes new coach

Can Croatia cross one final hurdle come Sunday night and become the ninth nation to win the World Cup? Standing in their way are France, whose sole ambition will be to claim that coveted piece of glory for the second time at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

As an independent nation, Croatia might not have a rich history as far as their participation in the biggest show on Earth is concerned but since their World Cup debut in 1998, eight years after being liberated from Yugoslavia, it has been a spectacular journey for them.

Coincidentally, it was also the year that France became the seventh nation to win the World Cup, which was on their home soil, by defeating Brazil 3-0 in the final.

More interestingly, it was France who shattered Croatia's dreams by defeating their first 'golden generation' in the semifinal of that tournament 2-1, thanks to two quick blows from Les Bleus defender Lilian Thuram after Croatia's Davor Suker had scored in the 46th minute.

Even in that defeat, Croatia became only the second team after Portugal to have the best finish as debutants. They were placed third following a 2-1 win over Holland in the position deciding game, where Suker scored his sixth goal to win the Golden Boot.

If that was a big statement by an up and coming footballing nation, then the exploits of their next generation, now marshalled by Luka Modric, is no less spectacular as they have reached the finals despite a below-par qualifying campaign.

Croatia launched their campaign in Russia with a 2-0 win against Nigeria before pulling off a magnificent 3-0 win against two-time winners Argentina. They beat Iceland in the last group league game to move into the round of 16 with the maximum number of points.

And in the last three knockout games, where they had to battle it out beyond regulation time, Croatia showed tenacity and the will to fight till the end.

Croatia's round of 16 game against Denmark was a classic example of their never-say-die attitude. After conceding an early goal, they equalised and took the game to extra time, where Modric missed a penalty. However, the Real Madrid midfielder showed courage and stepped up in the shootout to convert his spot kick.

In the quarterfinal against hosts Russia, which they won in the shootout after a 2-2 draw, they faced a similar scenario. This was also the case in the semifinal against England before Mario Mandzukic hit the winner in the 109th minute.

The Juventus forward might not be as prolific as Suker was on the big stage but he has the knack of scoring goals from out of nowhere. Croatia actually have individual winners in Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ante Rebic and Ivan Perisic, the Inter Milan forward who has been in fine form.

Croatia's last three games might have started slowly but gradually picked up with the progression of the game, which is a hallmark of a good team.

They also showed how athletically fit they are as they had to play for 120 minutes in all three previous games.

Against England at Saint Petersburg, many thought it would be impossible for them to survive if the game went beyond regulation time. Surprisingly though, it was England who slowed down as the game progressed. In addition, when the Turkish referee blew the final whistle, Croatia were heading for another crack at the goal.

France midfielder Paul Pogba previously said that he wants to earn his own star on the shirt on Sunday. However, the world will not be surprised to a see the birth of a new star.

Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber-attacks during the World Cup, President Vladimir Putin said, though he did not indicate who may have been behind the attacks.

"During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralised," Putin said during a meeting on Sunday with security services. The comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday.

Japan's incoming prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, will fill key party posts on Monday followed by a new Cabinet on Tuesday as he tries to unite a party split by one of its closest ever leadership races ahead of a likely snap general election.

That poll, which will decide which party controls parliament's powerful lower house, will come on Oct 27, Kyodo reported.

Among Ishiba's key picks so far are two rival candidates in the leadership race, Katsunobu Kato as finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi to stay on as chief cabinet secretary, a pivotal post that includes the role of top government spokesman, a source familiar with the appointments earlier told Reuters.

Japanese shares fell more than 4% on Monday as the yen strengthened in reaction to the leadership victory by Ishiba, who is seen as a monetary policy hawk.

A close Ishiba ally, Takeshi Iwaya, a former defence chief, will take over as foreign minister, while Gen Nakatani will return to the defence ministry, a position he held in 2016, the source, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media said, confirming earlier media reports. Yoji Muto, a former junior minister, will take charge at the economy, trade and industry ministry, a separate source said.

Absent, however, from picks so far reported in local media is Sanae Takaichi, the hardline conservative he beat by 215 votes to 194 on Friday in the closest leadership election in almost seven decades.

Takaichi's exclusion could make it difficult for Ishiba to manage a fractious ruling group roiled by scandals that have sapped its public support.

Media reports that Takaichi has declined a post "could point to a weakness in Ishiba's support base, which could cause him problems going forward," said Hiroshi Shiratori, a political science professor at Hosei University in Tokyo.

In a televised interview on Sunday, Ishiba did not discuss his cabinet appointments, but suggested he may call a general election in October. A poll must be held within the next 13 months.

Another rival, Shinjiro Koizumi, who has called for a snap election, will be his election campaign chief, according to a local media report. Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who backed Koizumi, will be his party vice president, the sources said.

Japan's main whaling company has released images showing the first fin whale caught commercially by its fleet in almost 50 years before it was butchered and sent home for consumption.

Japan, one of three countries to hunt whales commercially with Norway and Iceland, this year added the fin whale to a catch list that already includes minke, Bryde's and sei whales.

Fin whales are the world's second-biggest animal after the blue whale.

The footage provided to AFP on Wednesday shows the dead whale being hauled up into Japan's new whaling "mother ship" as workers posed next to the carcass and readied big knives to dismember it.

Fin whales are deemed "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Japan's decision to catch them has alarmed conservationists.

"This is the first fin whale catch in Japanese commercial whaling since 1976, almost half a century ago," said Masuo Ide, spokesman for whaling firm Kyodo Senpaku, calling it the "king of whales".

The male whale, which was harpooned and killed by a smaller vessel on August 1, was 19.61 metres (64.3 feet) long and weighed at least 55 tonnes, he told AFP. Four more have been caught since.

The crew of the Kangei Maru, a 9,300-tonne mothership launched in May, butchered the carcass and stored its meat in frozen containers on board for later consumption in Japan.

Some of the fin whale meat was served in a business exhibition in the northern city of Sapporo last week, with a wholesaler telling local media it was "delicious, with no smells. It changed my impression of whale meat".

The whaling company is planning another tasting event in Tokyo on Friday.

'Scientific'

Japan has hunted whales for centuries and the meat was a key source of protein in the years after World War II.

It carried on for "scientific" purposes after an International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, killing hundreds -- including several fin whales -- in the Antarctic and North Pacific.

However, after years of tensions that took a toll on its international reputation, Japan quit the IWC in 2019 and resumed commercial whaling inside its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The government has allowed whalers to catch up to 376 whales this year, a number it says is sustainable, including 59 fin whales out of an estimated 19,299 fins in its waters and EEZ.

Japan is meanwhile seeking the extradition of US-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, 73, who was detained in Greenland in July.

Watson co-founded Sea Shepherd, whose members played a high-seas game of cat-and-mouse with Japanese whaling ships in the 2000s and 2010s.

His new organisation, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, says that its vessel was on its way to intercept the Kangei Maru when Watson was arrested.

Croatian media on Monday hailed their team as heroes after the small country's historic success in reaching the World Cup final where France beat them 4-2.

"Thank you, heroes! - You gave us everything!" read the Sportske Novosti frontpage.

"'Vatreni' (the "Fiery Ones" in Croatian), you are the biggest, you are our pride, your names will remain written in gold forever!" the newspaper said.

It showed a photo of captain Luka Modric who was awarded the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, holding a trophy, although with a sad face after the defeat.

"Brave hearts - You made us proud," said Jutarnji List daily.

"Croatia celebrates you, you are our gold!" echoed the Vecernji List.

It noted that for the past month coach Zlatko Dalic's team "made Croatia better".

"They restored pride, pulled it out of the pessimism" reigning in the country whose economy remains among the weakest in the European Union.

More than 100,000 red-and-white-painted Croatian fans were expected to welcome the squad home later Monday in the capital Zagreb.