Japan overcame its dry patch in front of goal but still made heavy weather of a 3-0 win over minnows Hong Kong in the East Asian Football Championship on Thursday.
Japan went into the match at a rain-slick National Stadium on the back of two frustrating scoreless draws the previous week, but Keiji Tamada took advantage of a defensive mixup to break the deadlock with a well-taken strike four minutes before halftime.
Marcus Tulio Tanaka headed in a second after 65 minutes before Tamada added a late third to ensure the three points, but several chances also went begging against a team Takeshi Okada's side had beaten 10-0 over two Asian Cup qualifying games late last year.