Summary Approximately 8.4 million households were glued to the set for Japan's 2-1 defeat in Brazil.
TOKYO (AFP) - Almost half of Japan s capital region tuned in to watch their World Cup opener against Ivory Coast, according to official viewers figures.
Approximately 8.4 million households in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, were glued to the set for Japan s 2-1 defeat in Brazil, Video Research Ltd. said.
Figures for the whole country have not yet been produced but 42.6 percent of homes in the area watched the first half, which ended with Japan leading 1-0 after an early Keisuke Honda goal.
That figure rose to 46.6 percent in the second half, where two quick strikes from the Ivorians burst Japan s bubble.
Shown by Japan s national broadcaster NHK from 10 am on Sunday, viewer ratings reached a peak of 50.8 percent.
Japan s opening game at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a 1-0 victory over Cameroon, which kicked off at 11 pm local time, drew around 45 percent.
The record high is a 66.1 percent viewer rating in Kanto during the 2002 World Cup, which Japan co-hosted with South Korea, when they beat Russia 1-0.
