Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo on Saturday, bringing heavy rains and causing floods. Nearly 35 people have been killed and hundreds injured due to the destruction.
“On Saturday, many people were affected by the typhoon, so we feel very fortunate to be able to play volleyball. We are the national team of Japan, so as much as possible we wanted to battle here to give courage to the affected people. We hope to be able to fight in the remaining matches as well to continue to give courage to those affected,” Yanagida said.
“We had four wins in a row coming into this match and were in a good flow to meet the Asian powerhouse Iran. In the second set we lost in the way we did, and yet we were able to overcome the difficulties. I think this summarizes the good flow we have had in this competition."
"We now have five wins in a row, which I believe is a new record, and that gives us good confidence,” he added.