The vast majority of England fans following the team to the World Cup are not violent troublemakers,the British government has reassured the Japanese authorities.

　　During a visit to the Japanese city of Osaka, Home Office minister John Denham said travelling supporters may be "enthusiastic, exuberant, noisy", but they are not hooligans.

　　As concern about the potential for clashes between rival supporters grows, Denham said action was being taken to ensure England had a peaceful following.

　　He said 900 known hooligans had already been banned from travelling and more were likely to receive similar punishment before June's tournament.

　　Japanese police are undergoing special riot training to help them deal with violence surrounding any of the matches held there.

　　The tournament is shared with Korea, but England'ssgroupsF matches will be played in the Japanese cities of Osaka, Sapporo and Saitama.

　　Denham told BBC: "We are working to ensure that the small number of known troublemakers do not travel to Japan.

　　"I am confident that people... are coming here because they want to support the football team, to enjoy the World Cup and to enjoy visiting Japan."

　　Denham said: "It has been some years since there has been significant trouble with English fans abroad.

　　"We want to make sure there is no danger of that happening here," he added.