Mana Iwabuchi hit a late winner as the Japan women's team edged South Korea 3-2 in their opening game of the E-1 Football Championship on Friday night.
Japan was twice pegged back after leading through goals from Mina Tanaka and substitute Emi Nakajima at a rain-hit Fukuda Denshi Arena, but Iwabuchi settled the contest for good in the 83rd minute.
"I am still in the process of building the team but with the championship title in mind the first game was crucial," said Japan coach Takako Asakura. "We won by being resilient and that will go a long way for this team."