Ireland's second Nations Championship match took them north of Sydney to Newcastle, as they came up against a well-drilled Japan team in front of 11,021 fans.
Debutant number 8 Sean Jansen was one of nine personnel changes made by head coach Andy Farrell, with three more uncapped players on the bench - Billy Bohan, Sam Illo, and Bryn Ward.
Ireland arrived in Newcastle on a five-match winning run having beaten Italy, England, Wales, Scotland, and Australia, whom they edged out 33-31 last week.
Captained by Tadhg Beirne for the first time, Farrell's men came into the game sitting joint-top of the Nations Championship's Northern Hemisphere table, alongside Wales and Scotland.
