Japan warmed up for their World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on June 6 with two crushing Kirin Cup victories to win the three-team tournament in front of their home fans. Japan thrashed Chile 4-0 on May 27 in front of 43,531 fans at a sold-out Nagai Stadium in Osaka, with Shimizu S-Pulse front man Shinji Okazaki helping himself to a brace. Takeshi Okada handed a debut off the bench to 18-year-old Urawa Reds midfielder Naoki Yamada, but it was Yamada's club-mate Yuki Abe who scored Japan's third, before Keisuke Honda added a fourth in stoppage-time to complete the rout for the Blue Samurai.