Ao Tanaka opened the floodgates early in the second half as Japan overwhelmed Thailand 5-0 in a men's international football friendly Monday at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Keito Nakamura, Takumu Kawamura and Takumi Minamino also found the net in the Samurai Blue's first-ever New Year's Day clash, which served as a warm-up for the Asian Cup kicking off later this month in Qatar.
With a number of mainstays still on duty for their European clubs, manager Hajime Moriyasu gave several new faces a chance to show their stuff in front of the 61,916 gathered to watch Japan's last home game before the Jan. 12 to Feb. 10 tournament.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima midfielder Kawamura made his senior national team debut off the bench late in the second half, while veteran winger Junya Ito wore the captain's armband in the absence of regular skipper Wataru Endo.
Thailand's Japanese manager Masatada Ishii included Consadole Sapporo midfielder Supachok Sarachat and Urawa Reds midfielder Ekanit Panya in his squad.
The home team spent most of the first half in attacking territory but could not convert a handful of opportunities against a defensively minded Thai side before the break.
Japan's 51st-minute opener resulted from an attack triggered by second-half substitute Ritsu Doan, who made a run down the left before swinging a pass to Junya Ito on the opposite side of the box. The captain's shot was blocked by a defender, but Tanaka was on hand to fire home.
Nakamura made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute when he tapped in after Minamino's shot was stopped by Thailand keeper Patiwat Khammai.
The Thailand defense conceded an own goal from a corner kick before Kawamura headed Japan's fourth in the 82nd minute.
Minamino sent one late attempt wide and had another saved one-on-one by Patiwat before slotting the final goal in the first minute of injury time.
The victory set the record for the Samurai Blue's longest winning streak at nine straight games.
"This win was the result of players communicating on and off the pitch about what they needed to do to bring out the best in each other," said Moriyasu, who was scheduled to name his Asian Cup squad later.
Japan will begin their campaign for a record fifth Asian Cup campaign against Group D opponents Vietnam on Jan. 14 before facing Iraq and Indonesia.
The Samurai Blue are scheduled to play Jordan on Jan. 9 in a final warm-up game for the tournament.
"We've made a good start in our bid to win the Asian championship, so I want to make sure we prepare properly," Ito said.
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