Security was tight inside and outside Guangzhou's Tianhe Sports Centre last night as bitter rivals China and Japan met in an Asian Games soccer match.
However, the game passed peacefully, despite the hosts losing 3-0.
The two East Asian giants have been embroiled in a diplomatic row since early September over Japan's arrest of a Chinese trawler captain in disputed waters in the East China Sea, which has triggered a string of sometimes violent protests in both countries.
About 150 Japanese fans - mostly local residents - turned up in the 60,000-seat stadium, guarded by about 100 policemen who formed a human wall around them.
After the final whistle, security officials quickly escorted them away in three buses.
A Japanese fan said many of his friends in Japan had been worried about their safety.
'But we live in China and we know Chinese people. We are not worried about our safety. It's safe,' he said. Armed police patrolled the stadium throughout the match, while plainclothes police were also scattered among the crowd. One plainclothes officer said there were several thousand police on duty.