Japan claimed the bronze medal in the men's 5,000-meter relay at the short track speed skating world championships on Sunday.
The team of Satoshi Sakashita, Yuzo Takamido, Takahiro Fujimoto and Fumihiko Kakubari crossed in third behind the United States and runnerup China.
It was the first time Japan captured a medal at a world championships since winning silver in 2000. The Japanese team trailed in fourth until Sakata made a move to pass Italy with about eight laps remaining.