diff --git a/src/encoding/json/bench_test.go b/src/encoding/json/bench_test.go
index cd7380b1efb..ec5a88a4e25 100644
--- a/src/encoding/json/bench_test.go
+++ b/src/encoding/json/bench_test.go
@@ -221,3 +221,14 @@ func BenchmarkIssue10335(b *testing.B) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func BenchmarkUnmapped(b *testing.B) {
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	var s struct{}
+	j := []byte(`{"s": "hello", "y": 2, "o": {"x": 0}, "a": [1, 99, {"x": 1}]}`)
+	for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
+		if err := Unmarshal(j, &s); err != nil {
+			b.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/encoding/json/decode.go b/src/encoding/json/decode.go
index c815599cd52..41d0aefbeb8 100644
--- a/src/encoding/json/decode.go
+++ b/src/encoding/json/decode.go
@@ -359,47 +359,40 @@ func (d *decodeState) scanWhile(op int) int {
 	return newOp
 }
 
+// discardObject and discardArray are dummy data targets
+// used by the (*decodeState).value method, which
+// accepts a zero reflect.Value to discard a value.
+// The (*decodeState).object and (*decodeState).array methods,
+// however, require a valid reflect.Value destination.
+// These are the target values used when the caller of value
+// wants to skip a field.
+//
+// Because these values refer to zero-sized objects
+// and thus can't be mutated, they're safe for concurrent use
+// by different goroutines unmarshalling skipped fields.
+var (
+	discardObject = reflect.ValueOf(struct{}{})
+	discardArray  = reflect.ValueOf([0]interface{}{})
+)
+
 // value decodes a JSON value from d.data[d.off:] into the value.
-// it updates d.off to point past the decoded value.
+// It updates d.off to point past the decoded value. If v is
+// invalid, the JSON value is discarded.
 func (d *decodeState) value(v reflect.Value) {
-	if !v.IsValid() {
-		_, rest, err := nextValue(d.data[d.off:], &d.nextscan)
-		if err != nil {
-			d.error(err)
-		}
-		d.off = len(d.data) - len(rest)
-
-		// d.scan thinks we're still at the beginning of the item.
-		// Feed in an empty string - the shortest, simplest value -
-		// so that it knows we got to the end of the value.
-		if d.scan.redo {
-			// rewind.
-			d.scan.redo = false
-			d.scan.step = stateBeginValue
-		}
-		d.scan.step(&d.scan, '"')
-		d.scan.step(&d.scan, '"')
-
-		n := len(d.scan.parseState)
-		if n > 0 && d.scan.parseState[n-1] == parseObjectKey {
-			// d.scan thinks we just read an object key; finish the object
-			d.scan.step(&d.scan, ':')
-			d.scan.step(&d.scan, '"')
-			d.scan.step(&d.scan, '"')
-			d.scan.step(&d.scan, '}')
-		}
-
-		return
-	}
-
 	switch op := d.scanWhile(scanSkipSpace); op {
 	default:
 		d.error(errPhase)
 
 	case scanBeginArray:
+		if !v.IsValid() {
+			v = discardArray
+		}
 		d.array(v)
 
 	case scanBeginObject:
+		if !v.IsValid() {
+			v = discardObject
+		}
 		d.object(v)
 
 	case scanBeginLiteral:
@@ -517,8 +510,7 @@ func (d *decodeState) array(v reflect.Value) {
 		d.off--
 		d.next()
 		return
-	case reflect.Array:
-	case reflect.Slice:
+	case reflect.Array, reflect.Slice:
 		break
 	}
 
@@ -797,7 +789,9 @@ func (d *decodeState) literal(v reflect.Value) {
 	d.off--
 	d.scan.undo(op)
 
-	d.literalStore(d.data[start:d.off], v, false)
+	if v.IsValid() {
+		d.literalStore(d.data[start:d.off], v, false)
+	}
 }
 
 // convertNumber converts the number literal s to a float64 or a Number