Japan beat France in the World Judo Championships mixed team tournament to win a fifth gold in the discipline ©Getty Images

Japan won their fifth mixed team gold medal on the final day of the World Judo Championships in Tashkent following a six-bout thriller against Tokyo 2020 champions France here.

The Japanese kept their 100 per cent win record alive in the tournament as they have won every single edition since its inception in 2017.

Despite their historic dominance, much of the final remained on a knife-edge with France pegging them back twice before Kenshi Harada and Saki Niizoe secured the title by a 4-2 scoreline at the Humo Arena.

Niizoe got the better of reigning European champion Marie-Ève Gahié to give Japan victory.

She forced the 25-year-old into submission with an arm hold and sent her onlooking team-mates wild with the decisive move.

Goki Tajima drew first blood for Japan with a thunderous seoinage waza-ari against Alexis Mathieu in the men's under-90-kilograms bout, the first of the match, shortly followed by a nage-waza for the ippon.

The tie then went back-and-forth as double Olympic medallist Romane Dicko equalised for France after just 42 seconds against Wakaba Tomita, Hyoga Ota restored the lead with a pin on Joseph Terhec, and Sarah-Léonie Cysique dispatched Haruka Funakubo to make it 2-2.

Germany and Israel secured bronze medals on what was the final day of the World Judo Championships in Tashkent ©Getty Images
Germany and Israel secured bronze medals on what was the final day of the World Judo Championships in Tashkent ©Getty Images

Kenshi Harada gave Japan the advantage once more with another pin hold before Niizoe delivered the fatal blow.

Germany began the finals block with a commanding 4-1 win over China to land the country's first ever mixed team medal at the World Judo Championships.

Victories from Eduard Trippel, Johannes Frey, Pauline Starke and Igor Wandtke proved vital while only Xi Shiyan was able to win for China.

She beat 2021 world champion Anna-Maria Wagner who was far from her best in the Uzbekistan capital as she was eliminated in the individual competition and missed out on the podium.

Israel joined Germany on the bronze medal spot on the podium as they also claimed a first team medal with a 4-2 triumph against The Netherlands, courtesy of wins from Maya Goshen, Ido Levin, Timna Nelson Levy and Raz Hershko.

The team tournament marked the end of the 2022 World Judo Championships.

Across all the individual and team events, Japan topped the standings with six golds, four silvers and three bronze medals to beat Brazil's two golds, one silver and one bronze.

Hosts Uzbekistan then rounded out the top three with two gold medals.