Half-time substitute Mami Ueno scored the winner as Japan defeated the United States 1-0 to wrap up the Women's U-20 World Cup in third place on Saturday.
Japan barraged the goal with 29 shots to three from the Americans as crisp passing carved out chance after chance in a one-sided encounter, but it had to wait until the 87th minute for the goal to arrive as forward Ueno chipped over the goalkeeper from inside the box to the far right-hand corner.
Japan, which lost to France 2-1 in Tuesday's semifinal after extra time in Papua New Guinea, was third in the 2012 tournament when it was the host.