Japan edged Bahrain 3-2 after leading by three goals in their opening match of Asia's final round of World Cup qualifying on Saturday.
Japan was in control during the first half only to see the hosts come back after the break.
Midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura put Japan ahead in the 18th minute, while Yasuhito Endo made it 2-0 when he converted a penalty kick in the 44th.
Substitute Kengo Nakamura scored in the 85th goal and the three-time Asian Cup champions looked headed for a convincing victory. But Bahrain hit back through Salman Isa and an own goal by Marcus Tulio Tanka in the final five minutes.
Bahrain were reduced to 10 men when Husain Mohammed received a second yellow card in the 67th minute.
Japan is one of the favorites to advance from Group A. This was the third match between the two teams in the last six months after each had a win in the third qualifying round. Bahrain upset Japan 1-0 at the same venue five months ago.
The other teams in Group A are Australia, Qatar and Uzbekistan. The top two from each group gain automatic berths to the World Cup, while the two third-place finishers face off in a playoff round for the right to meet the Oceania Zone winners for a final spot.
Bahrain visits Qatar on Sept. 10, while Japan hosts Uzbekistan in Saitama on Oct. 15.
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Lineups:
Japan: Seigo Narazaki, Yuji Nakazawa, Atsuto Uchida, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yuki Abe (Hisato Sato, 78), Yasuhito Endo, Daisuke Matsui (Kengo Nakamura, 69), Shunsuke Nakamura, Keiji Tamada, Tatsuya Tanaka, Makoto Hasebe.
Bahrain: Sayed Jaffer, Husain Mohammed, Abdulla Marzooq, Sayed Jalal, Aala Hubail (Jaycee Okwunwanne, 62), Mohamed Salmeen (Rashad Salem, 83), Ismaeel Latif (Mahmood Abdulrahman, 62), Fouzi Aaish, Salman Isa, Abdulla Omar, Sayed Mohamed Adnan.
