Japan finished fifth in the women's team event at the world gymnastics championships in Glasgow on Tuesday.
The Japanese team, sixth in the qualifiers, scored a total of 169.887 points on the four apparatus of vault, uneven bars, beam and floor, improving from an eighth-place finish last year.
The United States (181.338) won gold for its third consecutive women's team title, while China (176.164) took silver and Great Britain (172.380) secured a first-ever medal in the women's team event in taking the bronze.
It was the first time for Japan to finish fifth since the 2010 championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Mai Murakami fell off the beam but national team debutant Sae Miyakawa had team-high scores in the vault and floor and ace Asuka Teramoto contributed in all four apparatus.
"My young team really tried hard," said Japan coach Chieko Tsukahara. "They gained confidence from all the practice that have built up."
All eight teams in the final have qualified for next year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics.