Both Issei Shimbaba and Ryo Kiyuna made light work of their opponents throughout the day and will now compete for the men's title on Sunday (September 10) at Sporthalle Brandberge in Halle.

After progressing through his pool with ease, Shimbaba defeated Spain's Sergio Galan Lopez 4-1 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Venezuelan Antonio Diaz by the same scoreline in the last four.

World champion Kiyuna beat fellow countrymen Kazumasa Moto and Takuya Uemura 4-1 and 5-0 respectively to progress to the final.

Uemura produced the shock of the day when he eliminated last season's Karate 1-Premier League grand winner Damian Quintero of Spain 3-2 in the pool stages.

Quintero is currently ranked world number one and has earned five medals in six competitions this year.

There will also be an all-Japanese final in the women's kata event.

Emiri Iwamoto overcame Spain's Sandra Sanchez 3-2 in their semi-final.

She will now go up against fellow countrywomen Hikaru Ono after she proved too strong for compatriot Mizuki Ugai, winning 5-0.

Japan and Turkey will contest the women's team kata final while Russia and Spain have made it through to the men's.

Kumite competition also began today with Brazilian Douglas Brose progressing to the final of the men's under-60 kilograms event.

Brose, the two-time world champion, beat Amir Mehdi Zadeh of Iran 4-0 in the first semi-final.

Mehdi Zadeh shocked Sadriddin Saymatov of Uzbekistan 3-1 en-route to the last four.

Saymatov took gold in the men's under-60 kilograms kumite competition in Paris, Rotterdam and Dubai before missing Rabat. 

Brose will now face Russia's Evgeny Plakhutin in the final after he defeated Aykut Kaya of Turkey 4-0 in the semi-finals.

Kumite competition takes centre stage tomorrow before a day of finals is pencilled in for Sunday (September 10).