Kenta Nishizawa struck early in the second half as Shimizu S-Pulse upset high-flying Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 on Saturday.
Ange Postecoglou's men came into the clash at a sweltering Nissan Stadium on a three-game winning streak, three points behind league-leading FC Tokyo in second place.
The visitors, in contrast, were on the cusp of the relegation zone having lost three of their past four league outings.