A second-half strike from Wesley Sneijder proved decisive as the Netherlands condemned Japan to a 1-0 defeat in Group E of the World Cup finals on Saturday.
Japan defended valiantly for long stretches at Durban Stadium but had its resistance broken when Inter Milan star Sneijder struck on 53 minutes to make it two wins out of two and put Bert van Marwijk's men on the brink of the place in the last 16.
Japan's first defeat leaves it on three points, with Denmark set to meet Cameroon later in the day in Pretoria. Japan wraps up the group stage against the Danes in Rustenburg on Thursday while the Dutch face Cameroon in Cape Town.