TAIPEI (Kyodo) -- Four Japan pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts Friday in a 6-3 see-saw Premier12 opening-round win over South Korea, with Shugo Maki bringing the defending champions from behind with a two-run fifth-inning single.

At Taipei Dome, Central League ERA leader Hiroto Takahashi allowed two runs over four innings, while striking out eight. Lefty Chihiro Sumida allowed a run over three innings and struck out six.

Japan twice had to come from behind to improve to 2-0 and pull even atop Group B with host Taiwan, while Australia and South Korea are a game back at 1-1. Japan and Taiwan play Saturday.

"It was the kind of difficult game we expected," Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata said. "We let them come from behind, but it was positive we were able to keep it close."

The top two teams from Group B will meet the top two from Mexico's Group A, Venezuela and the United States, in the super round at Tokyo Dome.

South Korea broke the ice in the second against Takahashi on a Park Dong Wan double and a Hong Chang Ki single.

Samurai Japan took the lead in the home half, when singles from Shota Morishita and Ryoya Kurihara set up Kotaro Kurebayashi's two-run single. Japan was prevented from making it 3-1 in the third by a super catch from center fielder Lee Ju Hyeong.

Instead, Park tied it in the fourth with a solo homer. Sumida surrendered Yoon Dong Hee's go-ahead RBI double in the fifth, but once more Japan bounced back. Maki singled in two runs in the bottom of the inning, and Morishita belted a two-run homer in the seventh.