Two of Ange Postecoglou's recent Japanese signings proved to be matchwinners as Celtic downed Martin Boyle's Hibernian 2-0 in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday morning (AEDT).
In the Hoops' first match since Boxing Day, new striker Daizen Maeda scored on his club debut, while fellow acquisition Reo Hatate was named man-of-the match.
A third signing from the J-League - Yosuke Ideguchi - also made his first Celtic as a substitute.
It was Australian midfielder Tom Rogic who provided the assist for Maeda's maiden Hoops goal, which came only four minutes into his debut.
Rogic found himself in space on the edge of the area, before prodding a pass to the excellently-positioned Maeda, whose shot deflected in off the Hibernian goalkeeper.
The Socceroos playmaker then made a spectacular volley from just inside the area that narrowly went wide of the post.
Celtic doubled their lead on 25 minutes when Josip Juranovic converted a penalty after Liel Abada induced a handball in the box.
Hatate played in a central midfield three with Rogic and Callum McGregor, impressing enough to win the best player award for the game.
Postecoglou urged fans and pundits to not lump his Japanese signings together, insisting they all have different qualities and characteristics to bring to the team.
In addition to Maeda, Hatate and Ideguchi. the Australian manager brought Kyogo Furuhashi to the club at the start of the season, with the Japanese striker scoring 16 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions.
"We have to be careful about just saying ‘four Japanese players’," Postecoglou said post-match.
"These are four individuals who are totally different people. And they’re totally different types of players too.
"It’s a bit lazy for us all to say, I’ve just brought in four Japanese. I’ve brought in four quality players who I think can add to what we’re doing here.
"They have different personalities and they’ve had different career paths so far. They each will offer something different to the club.
"The reason I went down this road is two fold. One, I have great knowledge of that market in that part of the world because it’s where I’ve worked.
"And two, it’s ideal for the January market because their season finishes in December.
"I knew this after the summer window and that’s when we started working on it. If we want to get players in the January window, it’s a good part of the world to do business in.
"But don’t assume we’ve just brought in ‘four Japanese players’. We’ve brought in four top quality players who can all contribute to our club."
Celtic are currently in second position on the Scottish Premiership table, three points behind leaders Rangers and having played an extra game.