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.

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

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 Kagawa, largely ineffectual up to that point, slammed home the second from close range eight minutes from time, capping Japan's third straight victory. They advanced to face the United Arab Emirates in the last eight while Jordan were eliminated.

Honda, fined $5,000 at the weekend for an outburst over the officiating at the Asian Cup, also had a goal disallowed for a questionable offside shortly before the hour-mark and smashed a shot against the post in the last minute in a live-wire performance.

Iraq's win against debutants Palestine sets up a quarter-final grudge-match against arch-rivals Iran in Canberra on Friday.

The match came to life at the start of the second half with star man Younis Mahmoud wasting a good chance on 47 minutes before he broke the deadlock just moments later.

The targetman lept high to head the ball powerfully home from a corner, sending the large and vocal Iraqi support wild.

It was a full-blooded affair with a spirited Palestine performance, but Iraq's number nine Ahmed Yaseen put it beyond doubt with a powerful low drive two minutes from time.