KAWASAKI — Japan's quest for a third consecutive title in the IFAF World Football Championships is alive.

News photoJapan quarterback Yuichi Tomizawa, No. 13, runs into the end zone to score the game's first touchdown in the first quarter against Sweden in the 3rd IFAF World Championships at Kawasaki Stadium on Thursday. With the 48-0 win, Japan advanced to Sunday's final to face the United States. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO

The reigning champs dominated from start to finish en route to a 48-0 victory over sluggish Sweden in Group 1 action on Thursday at Kawasaki Stadium.

Japan faces the United States in Sunday's championship game at 3 p.m.

Sweden, which could not match Japan's speed, trailed 21-0 after one quarter and never recovered.

Japan scored on its first two offensive possessions, a 1-yard keeper by quarterback Yuichi Tomizawa and a 12-yard TD carry by wide receiver Naoki Maeda.

Ken Shimizu then returned a punt 56 yards, slicing past Swedish defenders in the middle of the field and then outracing them down the left sideline to the end zone, crossing into the end with zero seconds left in the first period.

Japan pushed the advantage to 28-0 on running back Masahiro Ishino's 1-yard plunge with 2:16 left in the second quarter.

Yosuke Kaneoya's 26-yard field goal with no time remaining gave the hosts a 31-0 lead entering the half.

Japan held a 217-68 advantage in total yards in the first half, including a 106-24 edge in rushing.

The hosts took a 38-0 lead into the fourth quarter, getting the third quarter's lone points on Koji Sugisawa's 1-yard carry at the 9:07 mark.

Sugisawa became the fifth Japanese to score a TD in the game, a sign of the Toshiaki Abe-guided team's across-the-board productivity.

Linebacker Kentaro Azuma tackled Swedish running back David Jonsson in the end zone for a safety that put Japan ahead 40-0 with 5:48 to play.

Kentaro Namiki entered the game late in the fourth quarter, becoming Japan's third QB to appear in the game after Tomizawa and Tetsuo Takata.

Takuro Mayuzumi made a 22-yard TD reception on a third-down pass from Namiki in the final minute to cap Japan's offensive outburst with 46 seconds left.

In Thursday's Group 2 first-round game, the United States defeated Germany 33-7, earning a berth in Sunday's tournament championship game.

Team USA, which clobbered South Korea 77-0 in Tuesday night's contest, put 16 first-quarter points on the scoreboard. Cody Childs gave the U.S. squad a 7-0 lead on his 6-yard touchdown run with 9:20 to play in the first quarter.

With 5:14 remaining in the opening stanza, Wendell Johnson's 3-yard TD carry made it 14-0. Two pivotal plays — the previous two, in fact — set up Johnson's score.

Bobby Awrey, who returned the opening kickoff 84 yards in Tuesday's runaway victory, picked up 37 yards on a punt return, giving Team USA the ball at the Germany 40-yard line. Quarterback Adam Austin then completed a 37-yard pass to receiver Marcus Lewis to set up first-and-goal.

Germany botched a punt attempt moments later. Punter Steffen Doelger fumbled the ball in the back of the end zone and it rolled out for a safety. That made it 16-0 with 18 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Germany picked off three passes in the first half, but that didn't change the ebb and flow of the game.

Childs tossed an interception, this one on a halfback option, on the next drive as German defensive back Matthias Weil made his first takeaway of the afternoon.

The U.S. defense held Germany's offense to a scoreless first half.

But Germany gained momentum when Weil stepped in front of a Jeff Ballard pass intended for tight end Brian Thompson at the Germany 6. Weil ran it back 94 yards, cutting the lead to 16-7 with 52 seconds left before halftime.

Place-kicker Craig Coffin pushed the U.S. lead to 19-7 on a 21-yard field goal with 2:40 left in the third quarter.

These points — like the game's opening score — were triggered by a big special teams play by the U.S. squad.

Rob Rodriguez, a cornerback by trade, blocked his second punt of the game, bursting through the line untouched and diving to knock down Doelger's kick, which was picked up by Sebastian Schoenbroich. That gave Team USA the ball at the Germany 5.

"Our special teams were the big difference again today," U.S. coach John Mackovic said.