Japan retain East Asian title after Chinese stalemate

Tournament hosts Japan retained their East Asian Championship women's title on Tuesday after being held to a 0-0 draw by China in Kashima, east of Tokyo.

The draw means Futoshi Ikeda's side finished two points clear of China, the reigning Asian champions, while South Korea came third after their 4-0 win over Taiwan.

The title is Japan's second in a row in the regional competition and fourth in total, moving them one win clear of North Korea, who are not participating this time, as the competition's most successful nation.

Riko Ueki went closest to opening the scoring in the second half for Japan when her shot from distance beat Chinese goalkeeper Zhu Yu only for the ball to come back off the crossbar.

The South Koreans secured third place with a comprehensive win over Taiwan, with Kang Chae-rim, Lee Min-a and Ko Min-jung all finding the net after an own goal from Chang Chi-lan had given Colin Bell's side the lead in the 35th minute.

The final round of matches in the men's tournament will be played in Toyota on Wednesday, with Japan needing to defeat defending champions South Korea to claim the title.