"The Japanese team did a good job in their defense today and we should have scored if we could seize a chance in the first half. But we shouldn't lose confidence as the tournament is important for us to prepare for the World Cup qualifier. We will not make the same mistakes on March 26 against Australia," said Chinese head coach Vladimir Petrovic.

"Today's match is much easier than I expected. My players performed steadily and calmly to seize the final victory. But the only regret is the injury of my player," said Japan's coach Takeshi Okada.

The 52-year-old Japanese, who led Japan to their first World Cup finals in 1998, again took over the position from Ivica Osim late last year.

The biennial East Asian Football Championship, which was inaugurated in 2003, was postponed to this year to make way for last year's Asian Cup. The participating teams are DPR Korea, Japan, South Korea and China.

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