The Japanese made a bright start with Mitoma to the fore on the left flank and, by the 12th minute, the hosts had taken the lead.

Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei had done well to deny the home side moments before the opener when he kept out Ritsu Doan’s header but from the resulting corner Japan went in front.

Kubo’s corner found Endo end unmarked 10 metres from goal and the Liverpool midfielder was able to pick his spot with a clinical header.

Moriyasu’s side looked set to double their advantage in the 33rd minute after Ayase Ueda spun into space behind the defence after Koki Machida’s through pass, the Feyenoord man cutting the ball back toward Doan. Wang, however, smothered the goal-bound shot.

Hidemasa Morita then found the side-netting as the Japanese continued looking for a way to increase their advantage, with the second eventually coming two minutes into first half injury time.

Doan’s inviting cross from outside the right side of the penalty area found Mitoma, allowing the winger to steer his header back across Wang and into the Chinese goal.

It took just seven minutes for Japan to extend their lead further as Minamino claimed his first of the evening, bending an exquisite finish around Wang after Mitoma’s perfectly weighted pass had released the Monaco midfielder behind the Chinese defence.

Minamino suffocated any hopes of an unlikely Chinese resurgence with six more minutes on the clock when he stepped past the defence to place a low right-foot shot beyond Wang’s despairing dive.

Substitute Ito added Japan’s fifth in the 77th minute when his deflected shot wrong-footed Wang before nestling in the corner and then set up Maeda to head in the sixth with three minutes remaining.

Kubo then lashed the ball into the roof of the net to put the seal on an emphatic Japanese victory.