Thomas Tuchel's side had won all of their qualifiers without conceding a goal, and even with Harry Kane rested, as well as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka not being available for the match, none of the pre-match build-up focused on whether the visitors would cause the hosts any problems.
"Last chance" for England players
The German had intimated in his press conference before the game that this was a "last chance" for players to stake a claim to be in his World Cup squad, and with up to 10 substitutes allowed, it would give Tuchel the perfect opportunity to run the rule over a number of them.
Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Rogers' inclusion in the starting XI gave the pair precisely that chance, and the latter was heavily involved in the opening quarter hour, seeing two of his shots blocked.
Marc Guehi also saw a pair of efforts blocked, whilst Anthony Gordon's low right-footed effort was diverted away from the target.
In those opening exchanges, it was backs against the wall stuff for a vibrant Japan, who looked to spring into attack at every opportunity, but were hamstrung by the amount of time England were getting on the ball.
Masterful performance from Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson again did no harm to his chances of a call-up for the USA, with a masterful midfield performance.
Involved in everything by the end of proceedings, the Nottingham Forest ace had completed 111 of his total 117 passes, for an astonishing 94.9% completion stat.
One of those was to Chelsea's Cole Palmer, who then immediately had his pocket picked by Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma.
A swift counter saw Mainoo easily outpaced, and a simple ball out wide was then eased back across to Mitoma to deliver a cushioned shot into the bottom corner, despite the attentions of six England players in the penalty box.
Though it wasn't the first time the Japanese had managed to get up the pitch, it demonstrated the ease with which the Three Lions could be carved open.
The goal certainly brought Mainoo's lack of pace into sharp focus, though Tuchel might also want to quiz Palmer as to why he was only jogging towards his own goal after losing the ball, rather than making any sort of attempt to win possession back.
Foden on the periphery
Much was expected of Phil Foden, too, but he was also on the periphery of the game far too often.
Just one dribble and one touch in the opposition box was essentially the sum total of his output on the night, and both he and Palmer didn't last an hour as a result of their under-par showings.
Quite what that means for their World Cup chances is anyone's guess.
Ritsu Doan had gone close for Japan either side of half-time, and alongside Mitoma and Kaishu Sano, their industry - 23 total duels between them - began to frustrate the hosts.
Wasteful from England
Sano won back possession for the visitors on eight occasions, with his 93.5% pass completion stat also being one of Japan's best.
England certainly weren't shy in their attempts at goal, but the story of their wastefulness can be seen by the fact that of their total of 19 attempts, only four were on target.
Japan scored from one of their two shots on target, and that should really be a concern for Tuchel, given that England can't always rely on Kane to deliver the goods.
A quadruple substitution just before the hour mark saw Jarrod Bowen, Dominic Solanke, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall introduced.
Maguire unlucky
The Tottenham man did himself no favours with just one touch in Japan's box in the 30+ minutes he was on the field. A lack of any sort of positive contribution was in stark contrast to Hall's combative showing.
Three of four one-on-ones were successfully won, whilst his seven final third entries were only bettered by Anderson, Guehi and Mainoo.
A flurry of later substitutions from both sides didn't alter the outcome of the game, though Harry Maguire can consider himself unlucky.
Within six minutes of his introduction in the 82nd minute, he'd seen a header cleared off the line, one blocked and another off target.
What did Tuchel learn?
In truth, despite his and England's best efforts, and in a game in which Japan only had 30% cumulative possession, it was the visitors who looked the brighter and sharper when in control of the ball.
There was an ease and purpose to their play which was missing for long periods for the hosts.
As an exercise, it's difficult to know what Tuchel will have gleaned from the game, though certain players will surely understand that by not showing the best version of themselves in the match, they might well have ruined their chances to represent the country this summer.
Ultimately, the result doesn't mean an awful lot, and that perhaps is the only saving grace on a disappointing night for England.
