Despite playing the entire second half with one less player, after skipper Kostas Katsouranis was expelled seven minutes before half-time, Greece denied the misfiring Japanese at the Arena das Dunas as both teams picked up their first points of the FIFA World Cup.
Katsouranis went into the book for the first time in the 27th minute when he slid into the back of Yuya Osako and his trip to halt Japan captain Makoto Hasebe's break 11 minutes later was the end of his match.
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni made the brave decision of dropping Shinji Kagawa for Yoshito Okubo, while Yasuyuki Konno took Masato Morishige's spot in central defence.
Kagawa had been largely invisible against Ivory Coast but the sight of him on the bench at the Arena das Dunas was still a shock, with the playmaker having started all but one of his country's last 12 matches.
Japan had over 75 per cent possession in the first half but generally struggled to test Orestis Karnezis with Okubo shooting tamely at Greece's goalkeeper and curling another effort wide either side of the 20-minute mark, before the game changed in the 38th minute, when Katsouranis was sent off.
At the break, Zaccheroni brought on Yasuhito Endo for Hasebe in a bid to insert some creativity into Japan's line-up, before Kagawa was recalled in the 57th minute at the expense of Osako.
But despite the two substitutions, Japan still struggled to break down Greece's stubborn defence.
The Asian nation bombarded Greece's goal, with Okubo wasting the best chance when he blazed wide in the 68th minute, but the Europeans desperately held on to frustrate Zaccheroni's side and leave both teams needing a win in their final game to advance from Group C.
