A disciplined defensive effort from Venezuela frustrated Japan's bid to win its first home game in World Cup year in a 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
The friendly against the South Americans marked the start of a four-match series of World Cup warmups this month, providing players on the fringes of Takeshi Okada's squad to state their case for inclusion in the final 23-man group in this summer's finals in South Africa.
But there were few bright spots in a game watched by a disappointing crowd of just 27,009 at Kyushu Oil Dome, although Japan coach Okada was generally pleased with his side's performance ahead of the East Asian championship in Tokyo.