Japan beat Italy 27-10 to open their Nations Championship campaign with a win in Tokyo on Saturday, as coach Eddie Jones served a suspension.
Japan trailed early but responded with tries from captain Warner Dearns, Takuro Matsunaga and Ben Gunter before more than 20,000 fans.
Forwards coach Neal Hatley stood in for Jones. "We thought we had an outstanding week's preparation," Hatley said. "The men that were playing from the start made a big impact."
Italy scored first through Juan Ignacio Brex in the fifth minute but could not match Japan's intensity. Coach Gonzalo Quesada said Japan "were much better than us".
Japan next faces Ireland in Newcastle, Australia. Dearns called the result "a team effort" from the whole squad.
