The medal round is set for the Olympic debut of women's street skateboarding, with all three of Japan's entries - Funa Nakayama, Aori Nishimura, and Momiji Nishiya - cruising into the top eight.
Nakayama, born in 2003, earned the highest preliminary total of the group with a score of 15.77.
For Team USA, two of the three American athletes were eliminated and will not contend for a medal.
Alana Smith, 20, and Mariah Duran, 24, were both unable to land four of their five best trick attempts.
The last chance for the United States came in the final heat, where Alexis Sablone, 34, followed a few disappointing opening runs with some impressive best trick maneuvers to narrowly edge out Brazil's Leticia Bufoni. Sablone is currently ranked 12th in the world.
Joining Japan and the United States in the medal round are skateboarders from the Netherlands, Brazil, and the Philippines.
