Japan missed out on the East Asian Championship title after a 1-1 draw with archrival South Korea on Saturday.
A fabulous second-half strike from Koji Yamase canceled out Yeom Ki Hun's acrobatic opener for the South Koreans, but a draw was not enough for Japan to claim regional bragging rights for the first time at the four-team tournament.
The result left South Korea at the top of the four-team table with five points from three games and ahead of Japan only by virtue of more goals scored.
The South Koreans will win the championship if North Korea (two points) fail to beat winless host China in the final match of the tournament later Saturday.