Japan turned on the style to sweep Uzbekistan aside 5-1 on Tuesday night and give new manager Vahid Halilhodzic the perfect start with two wins out of two.
Midfielder Toshihiro Aoyama blasted Japan into a sixth-minute lead with a long-range strike at Ajinomoto Stadium, before Shinji Okazaki doubled the advantage with a diving header in the 54th minute.
Substitute Gaku Shibasaki added a third with a brilliant piece of skill and vision in the 80th minute, and although Sardor Rashidov managed to pull one back for the Uzbeks, Takashi Usami and Kengo Kawamata both struck late to give Japan an emphatic victory.