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Japan fans urged to boo their hearts out

Japan's players were booed from the pitch after Saturday's 0-0 home draw with China in the East Asian championship, piling more pressure on coach Takeshi Okada.

The Blue Samurai copped similar flak from fans after their goalless draw with Venezuela in a friendly in Kyushu four days earlier.

Japan Football Association (JFA) president Motoaki Inukai told Sunday's Sports Hochi: "I want the supporters to boo their hearts out. It's good for the players."

Okada has come under fire since his bold declaration that Japan's target at this year's World Cup in South Africa was the semi-finals.

"We have problems - 180 minutes without a goal," he said.

"If we play like that at the World Cup we don't stand a chance."

"If we win the next two games we can win the title," said Okada. "We need to reflect on what's going wrong and find a way to score goals."