Ninth-ranked Japan finished second in its group in the Algarve Cup pool stage with a 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday.
For Nadeshiko Japan, the victory sets up a clash against world No. 5 Canada in the playoff for fifth place at the 12-team invitational women's soccer tournament.
A second-half goal by Yui Hasegawa and Mana Iwabuchi's stoppage time penalty lifted Japan to its second win, but the Netherlands finished first in Group C with seven points to advance to the final, where it will play Group B leader Sweden.
Japan, which also beat Iceland 2-1 on Saturday after its opening 6-2 loss to the Netherlands on Thursday, finished with six points. Its final match against Canada will be on Wednesday.
"It was a game that required perseverance," Japan coach Asako Takakura said.
"The players' skills have reached the same level so the team plays well regardless of who's on the pitch. There's room for improvement when it comes to follow-throughs, and the only thing we can do about that is continue shooting drills."
"The players' skills have reached the same level so the team plays well regardless of who's on the pitch. There's room for improvement when it comes to follow-throughs, and the only thing we can do about that is continue shooting drills."
Australia and Portugal face each other in the third-place playoff.