Japan made a triumphant start to the year by demolishing Malaysia 4-0 in an international friendly in Kashima on Saturday evening.

News photoJapan defender Nobuhisa Yamada battles Malaysia defender Yuzaiman for the ball in the first half during their international friendly Saturday at Kashima Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture. Japan trounced Malaysia 4-0.

Midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara set the wheels in motion with the opener in the 10th minute of what turned out to be little more than a practice match as the hosts dominated from start to finish on a bitterly cold evening on the Ibaraki Prefecture coast.

After spurning several decent chances, Ogasawara provided captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto with the second on 37 minutes before further strikes from Nobuhisa Yamada and Yasuhito Endo completed the damage in the buildup match for Japan's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.