Japan's eternal weakness in producing strikers has long been reflected in the J. League top-scorer charts, but a strong homegrown challenge this season is proving to be a timely exception with the countdown to the World Cup under way.
No Japanese player has finished on top of the pile since Naohiro Takahara scored 26 for Jubilo Iwata in 2002, but several are pushing hard with just over half the current campaign gone.
Shimizu S-Pulse's Shinji Okazaki and FC Tokyo's Naohiro Ishikawa both have 10 — one behind Gamba Osaka's Brazilian pace-setter Leandro — while Sanfrecce Hiroshima's Hisato Sato has nine and Jubilo's Ryoichi Maeda eight.