A Japanese teacher, gripped by the baseball fever that seized the nation during a game with bitter rival South Korea, was forced to apologise after watching the game in a classroom where students were taking a test.
Many avid fans in both countries tuned into last week's World Baseball Classic game, a cliffhanger that ended with a 2-1 victory for South Korea, their second win over Japan in the tournament.
But a 47-year-old primary school teacher in the western city of Osaka found himself in trouble after pupils complained that he watched the game, played on Wednesday night in the United States but broadcast live from midday on Thursday in Japan, while proctoring a test they were taking.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, the teacher watched the game on a classroom television for about five minutes during one of two class periods devoted to the exam, then watched the game with students during the lunch break in between.
During the second class period, as the game grew more heated, the teacher occasionally turned the television back on, prompting some students to shout "Hit the ball!" whenever Japan appeared about to score.
Other students, though, later complained that they were unable to concentrate.
"Some students were looking forward to watching the game, and I was also anxious about it," the teacher was quoted as saying.
"I was very thoughtless."
The school has said the exam results will not be included in the students' grades, the Yomiuri said.
Japan gained a measure of revenge on Saturday, beating South Korea 6-0 to clinch a place in Monday's championship game against Cuba.
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