Home driver Takamoto Katsuta, who started the Japan Rally dreaming of victory on his home soil, finished in fourth place.
Friday was a tough one, Saturday turned into a nightmare.
Katsuta had climbed to second place on Friday, closing the gap to Ogier by just 0.5 seconds, much to the delight of home fans. However, he crashed into plastic barriers in stage 11, breaking the power steering and being forced to retire from the race.
Toyota reigns supreme once again.
With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius throughout Saturday, causing tires and cars to wear down, Toyota completely locked in the top four positions. "It's the same person, the same car. Just a reset — that's all," Katsuta said at the end of the race. While a disappointing result, Toyota's overall dominance in Japan was undeniable.