Japan basked in the afterglow Wednesday of a surprise victory over Colombia in the soccer World Cup, with the top government spokesman praising the Samurai Blue for making a "historic start" to the tournament.

The television viewer rating for the group-stage match stood at an average 42.8 percent for the first half and 48.7 percent for the second half in the Kanto region centered on Tokyo, according to ratings agency Video Research Ltd.

Shunichiro Haga, a 77-year-old corporate advisor from Kanagawa Prefecture, was one of the people who were glued to the TV during the game. "That victory was really sweet and I want the players to keep trying their best in the next game," said Haga at Tokyo's Shimbashi Station.

"I will take time and enjoy reading these articles," a 62-year-old male office worker said after buying a sports newspaper at a kiosk.

After Japan, which has traditionally struggled to get beyond the group stages, had stunned the fancied South Americans 2-1 in their opening game, crowds of young people wearing the national team's blue shirts surged onto Tokyo's famed Shibuya crossing late Tuesday night, exchanging high-fives and shouting "Nippon!"

"To be honest, at first I thought Japan was going to lose, but now I'm so happy. I got goose bumps when our side scored," said 23-year-old office worker Seiya Uchida, after watching the match at a sports bar after work.

As in other cases of merrymaking on the streets like Halloween, the Metropolitan Police Department deployed its "DJ police," a policeman who smoothly directs partygoers to prevent accidents by talking to the crowd through a loudspeaker.

"This is the first time that an Asian team has beaten a South American opponent at the World Cup," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference at the prime minister's office. "The veterans and the younger players joined forces and demonstrated Japanese characteristics," he said.