Japan, which co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea, is, like the United States, a proven World Cup host with virtually all the necessary infrastructure in place, though it’s an outside shot this time around.
The country is playing up its status as a technological leader – including, among other things, the promise of beaming live matches onto giant holographic screens which can be viewed from any direction, “without the use of special spectacles,” according to the bid website.
Japan, like South Korea and the US, faces an obstacle in that it hosted the tournament very recently. Like South Korea and Australia, it is challenged by the fact that its time zone is not strategically advantageous for viewers in the Western Hemisphere.
