Photo/Illutration Rabio swiftly moves to the Japan area in a pool, predicting the national soccer team’s victory at the World Cup in Qatar on Nov. 22 in Obira, Hokkaido. (Masatoshi Narayama)

OBIRA, Hokkaido—Only a sucker would bet on a Japanese upset of Germany at the World Cup in Qatar, but Samurai Blue will likely wrap up a spot in the knockout stage, according to an octopus.

A “mizudako” (octopus dofleini) named Rabio has continued the tradition of animals making predictions for soccer’s main event.

Rabio’s task was to pick the winners of the first round matches in the tough Group E, which many have called the Group of Death. It features two former world champions, Germany and Spain, a very physical Costa Rica, and Japan.

Kimio Abe, 55, caught the octopus off the west coast of Hokkaido at the Usuya Fishing Port in Obira. The town’s name reversed is Rabio in Japanese.

Just past 10 a.m. on Nov. 22, Rabio was placed in a small vinyl pool, which was separated into three areas by white lines. A box for catching octopi was placed in each area.

A plate displaying the Japanese flag was placed on one of the boxes. A plate displaying an opponent’s national flag was placed on the second box, and a plate that said “draw” was placed on the last box.

Rabio was released in the middle of the pool, and spectators waited anxiously to see which area Rabio ended up in.

For Japan’s first match against Germany scheduled for Nov. 23, Rabio headed to the Japan area but later moved to and stayed in the Germany area, signaling a victory for the European team.

For the Nov. 27 match against Costa Rica, Rabio did not hesitate to move to the Japan area, and never left.

For the Dec. 1 match against Spain, Rabio first entered the Japan area but then moved to the “draw” area.

With a predicted outcome of 1-1-1 for Japan and four points in the group stage, the door would be open for Samurai Blue to advance to next stage in the tournament.

“Rabio is in top shape today,” Abe said.

Abe pointed out that Rabio entered the Japan area at least once for all three games, a sure sign that the national team “will fight well.”

For the 2018 World Cup in Russia, an octopus also named Rabio and also caught by Abe correctly predicted each of Japan’s group stage outcomes.

Japan defeated Colombia, tied with Senegal and lost to Poland. With a 1-1-1 record, Japan moved to the knockout stage.

Rabio garnered adulation because of its correct picks. The highly cherished octopus was later boiled in a pan.

(This article was written by Masatoshi Narayama and Kazuya Miki.)

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