'Bekkamu' and the Japanese - a marriage made in heaven

Perhaps there is no surprise in David Beckham discovering a liking for things Japanese. In many ways, the England captain and the World Cup co-hosts were made for each other.

Beckham's announcement that he wants to open soccer schools in Japan, and may end his playing career there, was the script of a mutual admiration club. He has been swept up in a sea of adulation ever since he arrived, and has been, by far, the most popular of the visiting players.

If one were a Shinto believer, it is a particularly benevolent and auspicious celestial combination which has seen Beckham, Japan and the World Cup come together in such a way, at such a time.

The reincarnation of David Beckham now appears complete. The villain of the previous World Cup is now a hero, leading a galvanised England. The man whose supposed inarticulacy and denseness made him the butt of dozens of jokes is now a constant and confident figure in front of the media.

But while the captain of the national team is understandably popular back home – at least while England continue to do well, or until he makes a mistake that costs the match – it is nothing compared with his stature in Japan.

Beckham-San has caught the mood at the right time. Going British is a growing fad in Japan. Young girls in tartan and boys in Fred Perry queue up to see the Harry Potter film, while their older siblings buy CDs by Radiohead and Fat Boy Slim, and drink beer at themed pubs.

Ewan McGregor, Hugh Grant and Catherine Zeta Jones, who advertises Lux soap, are regarded as having class and glamour of a peculiarly British sort, although cinema-goers struggle to grasp the humour of films such as Trainspotting.

The British motor industry may have vanished into foreign ownership, but while drivers in the UK buy their Toyotas and Nissans, middle-class Japan-ese put much cachet in owning "British" marques such as Land Rovers, Jaguars and the new Mini.

There may be disillusionment setting in about Tony Blair in Britain, but in Japan he is viewed as a dynamic statesman leading a stable economy. The Prime Minister might travel to Yokohama for the World Cup final if England get there. But he could find himself being upstaged there by Beckham-San.

The shoots of the Beckham cult began to grow back in 1999 when Manchester United visited the islands to sell their brand name in this most lucrative of markets. It was noticed then that his appeal was most apparent among young females, who would squeal with delight for him both on and off the pitch.

Clever marketing ensured that the campaign has reached boiling point during the tournament. Now "Debiddo Bekkamu" is everywhere in his many guises. Girls hang Beckham pendants from their mobile phones, and wear Beckham badges. Girls and boys buy Beckham posters, Beckham football shirts, boots and even shin pads. There are plans to produce a Beckham brand of soft drinks and snacks.

When Beckham's name is announced on the stadium loud speakers, there is that now very familiar squeal. When his picture comes up on the screen, the terraces light up with flashing cameras. His first touch of the ball is celebrated with ovation. Off the field, the authorities have decided he cannot leave the team hotels except on official business, and then under heavy guard, such is the danger of being mobbed by his admirers.

Despite the Manchester United midfielder's undoubted skills, not only his footballing prowess has made him an idol. There have been better players than him in the World Cup – such as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo – who have not had such an impact.

Neither is purely hard sell behind the phenomenon. Both football and Beckham's personality suit the current climate in Japan. Unlike baseball, still the biggest sport, football is seen as cool, cosmopolitan and sexy.

While the usual image of the Japanese baseball players is of close crops, unsmiling faces and macho posturing, the Japanese football team took the field with their hair in a riot of colours and styles. Unlike baseball, more than a third of the spectators were female.

The unexpected success of the Japanese team, and of South Korea, and the panache and swagger with which they played, have made the game even more fashionable.

Japanese players who have gone abroad, with mixed fortune, such as Hidetoshi Nakata in Italy and Junichi Inamoto, on Arsenal's books last season, are local heroes. But Beckham is the player who has given the Japanese public's growing interest in football an international dimension.

What makes the England player ideal is that he is a safe rebel. He may change his hairstyle, wear a sarong, or his wife's underwear, but he is also a family man who has not been a regular in the tabloids in stories of drinks, drugs and casual sex.

Another reason Beckham is liked is the voracious appetite for fashion, and despite the continuing sluggishness of the economy, the cash to spend on it. "Bekkamu" is seen as fashionable and stylish, and the young Japanese buying his memorabilia are the same ones buying Paul Smith and Duffer of St George.

The footballer's commercial agents have not been slow in recognising this. A David and Victoria Beckham clothing range may appear in Japan and the Far East in the near future.

Beckham's relatively low-key approach to interviews, which do not exactly sparkle with quick-fire wit or passion, may make him boring to some, but appeals to the Japanese, as it is said to give the impression of steadiness, even modesty.

World Football Shop Best, run by Hiroki Miyaji, founder of Japan's Manchester United Supporters Club has, as the name suggests, George Best as a business partner. Such is the demand for Beckham shirts that he has given up waiting for official merchandise and buys blank England shirts to stencil in No. 7 and Beckham.

Yashu Kubayashi, a social science analyst from Yokohama, said: "We are a conservative people and we are suspicious of people who are loud, or too sure of themselves.

"George Best would never have become such a hit in Japan. Same with someone like Paul Gascoigne. There were all those stories of drinks and late nights. They would not have been seen as team players, which is very important in Japan. There is still this corporate ethic there. Beckham, on the other hand, is seen as someone who is brilliant, but also someone who will always put the team first.

"He is most popular among women, but in fact he appeals over the age range. You see different generations at matches wearing Beckham shirts. He is a man for the family. I hear he is a gay icon in Britain, but that is not something that will go down too well here."