KAWASAKI — It was what he'd always said it would be.
Japan head coach Toshiaki Abe, wearing sunglasses and a white polo shirt, talks to his 60 players after the team's practice on Sunday at Kawasaki Stadium. Abe addressed the significance of wearing Japan's jerseys to the players as they continue their preparations for this summer's IFAF World Championships.
KAZ NAGATSUKA PHOTOBut with less than two months to go until "the main event," coach Toshiaki Abe emphasized even more to his players how honorable but burdensome it is to wear the Japanese flag, or Hinomaru, on their jerseys.