Timo Glock held it together for Toyota to claim the top spot in the second free practice session at the Fuji Speedway, which also happens to be owned by Toyota.
The german lapped the 4.563km circuit in a best time of 1:18.383s, less than a tenth ahead of his nearest rival and with one second covering the top 17 runners.
Fernando Alonso continued his and Renault’s recent run of form with the second fastest time in the much-improved R28, lapping just 0.043s off the ultimate pace. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was third fastest in his McLaren Mercedes just ahead of the Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen.