First Daisuke Matsui's clever flick struck the legs of Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, and moments later Makoto Hasebe raced into the box but fired narrowly wide.
When they did break up the Netherlands' passing, Grenoble midfielder DaisukeMatsui looked bright for Japan - instigating an incisive move that eventually resulted in Yuto Nagatomo hitting a stinging shot just wide.
As with their opponents, Japan were bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the first time and came closest to scoring during a game of few chances when DaisukeMatsui smashed a long-range strike against the crossbar in the first half.