Daiki Nishiyama defeated compatriot Takashi Ono to secure a final berth in the men's 90-kg class at the World Judo Championships on Friday.
The 20-year-old Nishiyama, the 2010 runnerup at the Tokyo meet, scored a "yuko" point to beat Ono in their semifinal match and set up another encounter with reigning world champion Ilias Iliadis of Greece. The 31-year-old Ono will aim for a bronze medal.
World No. 1 Akari Ogata, meanwhile, advanced to the semifinals of the women's 78-kg where she beat Brazil's Mayra Aguiar by ippon. Ogata, who took home bronze from the Tokyo meet, faces off against local favorite Audrey Tcheumeo of France in the final.