With members of the royal family watching, Japan's home run king was downright regal.

Shuichi Murata's two-run homer was the highlight of a three-run third as Japan defeated China 4-0 in the opening game of the World Baseball Classic on Thursday in front of 43,428 fans at Tokyo Dome.

Murata, who narrowly missed hitting a three-run shot in the first inning, kept the ball in fair territory in the third against starter Li Chenhao.