MELBOURNE (AFP) - Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa were on target to give Japan a 2-0 win over Jordan on Tuesday as the holders swept imperiously into the Asian Cup quarter-finals.

Honda snapped up a rebound on 24 minutes after Shinji Okazaki's low drive had been well saved by Jordan goalkeeper Amer Shafi to net his third goal in three games and take the Blue Samurai through as comfortable Group D winners.

Kagawa, largely ineffectual up to that point, added a second from close range eight minutes from time, capping Japan's third straight victory.

They will face the United Arab Emirates in the last eight.

Honda was Japan's heartbeat throughout the match, watched by 25,000 fans in Melbourne, including Japan's tennis star Kei Nishikori who is competing at the Australian Open across the road.

Japan, who won a record fourth Asian Cup by edging Australia in the 2011 final, are slight favourites to lift the trophy again.