Japan won a tense playoff against Singapore to replace relegated Thailand in division one of the Sudirman Cup world mixed team badminton championships on Friday.
Thailand lost 3-2 to Hong Kong earlier in the division one relegation battle and will return to division two.
Hong Kong saved a match point in the decisive fifth rubber to snatch victory in the women's doubles and preserve its status in the elite group.
Similarly, Japan went into the final women's doubles locked at 2-2 with Singapore. Singapore had looked in control when Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia took the first game 21-10 against Kumiko Ogura and Reiko Shiota.
But the Japanese pair fought back to take the second game 21-14 and then won the decider 21-13 to send Japan into the first division for the Sudirman Cup to be played in Guangzhou, China in 2009.
Denmark clinched fifth place on Friday when Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Britta Andersen won the final mixed doubles rubber 22-20, 21-19 against Malaysia's Tan Wee Kiong and Woon Khe Wei.
But while the Danes dropped a couple of places in the rankings, Malaysia could still celebrate a rise of three places to No. 6.
Malaysia's wins came from Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles and from Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in the men's doubles.
Tine Rasmussen completed the week with an impressive unbeaten record with a 21-17, 21-10 win over Anita Raj Kaur in the women's singles.
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