Japan beat Russia 7-5 in a semifinal game at the World Women's Curling Championship on Saturday, securing the country's first medal in the history of the sport.

Japan will face two-time defending champion Switzerland in the final at Credit Union iPlex on Sunday, and whether they win silver or gold it will be Japan's first medal in curling in either the Olympics or world championships.

Japan's LS Kitami team of Satsuki Fujisawa, Chinami Yoshida, Yurika Yoshida and Yumi Suzuki was defeated by Switzerland in the 1-2 Page playoff earlier in the week, but set themselves up for a rematch on the final day of the March 19-27 competition by topping the Russians in the semifinal.