TAIPEI ¨C Samurai Japan earned its second win ¨D its first since arriving in Taiwan ¨D through a hard-fought battle.

Slugger Sho Nakata hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth as Japan defeated Mexico 6¨D5 at Tien-Mou Stadium on Wednesday night in a first-round game of the Premier 12.

¡°We allowed (Mexico) to get closer to us, but we wound up winning it,¡± Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo said after the game. ¡°That¡¯s what you want in the end. This is a valuable win for us.¡±

Mexico pinch hitter Tim Torres drove in a game-tying run with a two-out single to center in the top of the ninth.

But Japan came out on top in the end.

Tetsuto Yamada led off the ninth inning with a double. Mexico then decided to take on Nakata by intentionally walking Yoshitomo Tsutsugo.

Nakata went 3-for-3 with five RBIs for the two-time World Baseball Classic champions. His fellow long-ball hitter Yoshitomo Tsutsugo had three hits to chip in for Japan.

¡°Honestly speaking, they intentionally walked Tsutsugo, and it gave me extra motivation,¡± Nakata said.

Japan starter Kenta Maeda was a little off of his top form, giving up two runs in five innings on 86 pitches. He yielded a solo homer to Robert Lopez in the second as well. The 27-year-old fanned seven hitters.

Japan took an early 4-1 lead, capitalizing on Nakata¡¯s two-run homer. But Mexico gradually cut into the deficit, taking advantage of the Japanese pitchers¡¯ inconsistency.

¡°Once you are chosen for the Japanese national team, you only think about winning the world championship,¡± Maeda said. ¡°I¡¯m pitching with that objective. I¡¯ll do my job to make that happen.¡±

Outfielder Shogo Akiyama said that even after Mexico tied the game in the ninth, Japan wasn¡¯t discouraged because the home side still had the bottom half of the frame to work with.

¡°We still had our offense left, and it was a situation that we could have made something happen,¡± said Akiyama, who racked up a NPB-record 216 hits this past season and a pair of hits on Wednesday. ¡°We didn¡¯t have to feel low at the time.¡±

Mexico had defeated Venezuela 6-4 on Tuesday and is now at 1-1 in Group B.

Japan (2-0) will square off against the Dominican Republic on Thursday night at Taoyuan International Stadium.