TAIPEI - Japan became the fourth country to qualify for the 2008 Olympics when they beat Chinese Taipei to clinch the Asian championship in Taichung on Monday.

The Japanese won the round-robin tournament to join hosts China, the United States, Olympic champions Cuba and the Netherlands in booking their place for next August in Beijing, the last Olympic baseball tournament until at least 2016.

South Korea and Chinese Taipei will be rewarded for finishing second and third behind Japan with a return to Taichung in March to battle it out with six other teams for the final three spots in Beijing.

Baseball and softball, introduced as Olympic medal sports in 1992, were voted off the schedule for the 2012 London Games two years ago, although both sports have mounted campaigns for reinstatement for 2016.