Japan underlined its Asian Cup title credentials as the defending champion registered a 2-1 win over Australia in the final warm-up for both teams ahead of the continental championship to be held Down Under in January.
Yasuyuki Konno came off the bench to head in the opener on 61 minutes and Shinji Okazaki scored a cheeky second in the 68th before substitute Tim Cahill, so often a thorn in Japan's side over the years, grabbed an injury-time consolation on a chilly night at Yanmar Stadium.
Japan, which captured a record fourth Asian Cup with an extra-time 1-0 win over Australia in the 2011 final in Qatar, now leads the head-to-heads between the two teams with eight wins against seven losses and eight draws.