JAPAN came back from being 0-3 down to hold South Korea 3-3 in the World League semi-finals at Johor Baru.
Japan coach Kang Keong Wook was surprised with the comeback: "Im surprised, maybe my players wanted to show that they are no push-overs and played a very good match in the second half."
Kang, a Korean, has helped his country win silver medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Korean coach Shin Seok Kyo attributed the yo-yo performance to overconfidence.
"Halftime 3-0, and then we became overconfident and now will have to win against tougher opponents Germany and Argentina," said Shin.
Korea: Kim Seong Kyu (15th), Lee Nam Young (24th), Kang Moon Kweon (26th).
Japan: Kawakimi Kei (43rd), Tachibana Toshiro (57th), Yoshihara Heita (61st)