Tade picked out substitute Sanni Issa who stole beyond defenders Masato Morishige and Tsukasa Shiotani and had only Eiji Kawashiwa to beat but smashed his first time effort over the crossbar in the 75th minute.
Japan looked bereft of ideas for most of the second half and there was notable frustration in the dugout but they were offered some relief when Shinji Okazaki capitalised on tired legs to slot their second in the 90th minute.
Coach Ramon Tribulietx was disappointed with the loss of a second goal after dominating the game for large periods but given his team footed it with an international side that resembled a Bundesliga, EPL, Serie A select XI, with players from Inter Milan, AC Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt, he expressed a degree of satisfaction.
"I think the game was pretty even, we had more of the ball by a mile and Japan were sitting deep and they made it difficult for us to penetrate and this is probably where we failed in some respects, to penetrate their defence.
"When you play a side like Japan you know its not going to be easy but we had most of the ball, then we conceded a goal from a deflection. It's not about the result, its about proving we can compete against these sides.
"All of their players but one play at the highest level in Europe in top leagues, the Bundesliga and EPL. The gap between us and them was not reflected on the field," he said, "I'm proud of our players, once again they proved themselves against magnificent opposition."
Tribulietx was philosophical about Auckland City FC's great chance to level the match missed by Sanni Issa late in the game.
"We could've scored it was a great chance but once again, in some respects, I don't care as much about the result as I do about how we played," he said. "Unfortunately, the second goal we conceded was a defensive mistake and these things happen but in and out of possession we were very good.
"We had a 10-12 day break and perhaps the players were mentally and physically tired and not close to our best, so to get the top performance we got out of them tonight was great," Tribulietx said.
Auckland City FC's remarkable five weeks has included wins over the Moroccan champions, Afrian champions, and Central and North American champions, as well as pushing South America's best to extra time.
There was also the 0-0 draw with Uzbekistan and tonight's creditable performance against Japan who start the AFC Asian Cup as hot favourites to retain their title.
Skipper Ivan Vicelich reflected on another tough challenge.
"Playing Japan was a tough task but I thought we competed well the whole game. We unfortunately went behind due to a deflected goal which was disappointing and there's disappointment on the faces of the players to lose 2-0 to a late goal.
"We gave away silly possession, overall a disappointing result, but its a good way to go into the second part of our season and we've got a good 90 minutes under our belt," he said.
Vicelich believes the sense of disappointment at not getting a positive result illustrates how far New Zealand's flagship domestic competition has come since 2004.
"It's great that an ASB Premiership side can lift its level and be competitive at this level and now we get back to New Zealand, train hard and look forward to the next game with Wellington Phoenix Reserves," Vicelich said.
Auckland City FC return to New Zealand on Monday afternoon to prepare for their next match with Wellington Phoenix reserves at Kiwitea Street on Sunday 11 January.
