Nasa Hataoka and Miyu Yamashita each recorded rounds of 65 on Thursday to take the lead in their home country at the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic.

After rounds of 7-under 65, they stand a stroke ahead of Ji-yai Shin of South Korea, who carded a 66 at Seta Golf Course in Otsu in the western part of the country.

Hataoka is pursuing her seventh LPGA Tour championship and Yamashita her third.

The latter won last week at the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she charged from eight shots back entering the final round to win.

To win this week, Hataoka and Yamashita will need to fend off a trio of Japanese women who tallied 67s on Thursday -- twin sisters Chisato and Akie Iwai, along with Minami Katsu -- to sit two strokes behind.

Yamashita had a fast answer to the root of he

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