Table toppers Urawa Reds continued their hot streak by overpowering Shimizu S-Pulse 4-1 on Saturday to stretch their advantage at the J-League summit to four points.

Urawa, Asian champions in 2007, improved to 47 points from 23 matches after scoring four goals for the third successive match as Japan's top flight resumed after the international break.

This season's package Sagan Tosu, Urawa's closest rivals before kickoff slipped up 1-0 at Venforet Kofu, allowing Kawasaki Frontale to climb above them into second.

First-half goals from Ryota Moriwaki and Tadanari Lee, whose spectacular volley won the 2011 Asian Cup for Japan, put Urawa in the driving seat at S-Pulse.

Defender Tomoaki Makino's 72nd-minute header sealed the points but there was still time for S-Pulse's Yasuhiro Hiraoka to score at both ends in a bizarre finish.

Frontale jumped to second with a 4-0 thrashing of crisis club Tokushima Vortis, who remain rooted to the foot of the table with just 12 points following their 17th defeat of the campaign.

Brazilians Renato and Ceci, along with North Korean An Byong-Jun, were all among the goals for Kawasaki, giving watching Japan coach Javier Aguirre precious little to ponder.

Seven-time champions Kashima Antlers dropped to fourth after being beaten 2-1 by Omiya's "Squirrels", who were grateful to a 74th-minute winner from Shohei Takahashi for their first win in 11 games.

Striker Takashi Usami, surprisingly left out of Aguirre's first squad for recent friendlies against Uruguay and Venezuela, responded in style with a a superb winner in Gamba Osaka's 1-0 win at champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima.