Urawa Reds midfielder Yuki Muto scored a first-half equalizer, but it was not enough to prevent Japan from finishing bottom of the standings for the first time at the East Asian Cup on Sunday after a 1-1 draw against host China in the final game of the tournament.
Wu Lei opened the scoring for China after 10 minutes before Muto's second goal of the tournament leveled four minutes to halftime at Wuhan Sports Center Stadium.
Japan finished with two points from three games after a 2-1 opening defeat to North Korea and a 1-1 draw with South Korea.