South Williamsport, Pa. • Japan's players weren't about to leave the Lamade Stadium field without some important souvenirs.

Still wearing their bright red caps and white uniforms, they leaned down on the mound to scoop up bags of dirt for what promises to be a happy flight home from a 10-day stay in central Pennsylvania.

Fitting, since the team from Tokyo relied on defense and a pair of pint-sized aces to win the Little League World Series.

Japan limited the potent bats of Waipahu, Hawaii, to four singles, and got a homer and three RBIs from Konan Tomori in a 4-1 win on a sunny Sunday afternoon to end the United States' run of five straight World Series titles.

Ryusuke Ikeda got the win after striking out five and allowing all four hits over three innings, before Ichiro Ogasawara pitched the final three hitless innings, striking out three. They met on the mound after right fielder Teruma Nagata caught the last out out to begin celebrating.

They were a reserved bunch afterward as they faced TV cameras and reporters' questions as if they were big league ballplayers.

"I was obviously very happy," the 13-year-old Ikeda said calmly through an interpreter. "The first thing I did was to run to the mound to give Ogasawara a hug."

After postgame handshakes at the plate with Hawaii, Japan got another memento — a banner that read "2010 Little League World Series Champions." They finished the tournament a perfect 5-0.

The All-Star team from Tokyo's Edogawa Minami Little League became the first international squad to take the crown since Curacao in 2004.

Hawaii, which had scored 29 runs over its previous three games, came up short at the plate against Tokyo.

Cheered on by family and friends waving U.S. flags and tea leaves they've been carrying around for good luck, the Waipahu All-Stars put on a valiant effort on the mound and in the field. "They battled to the end, and that's all I could ask of them," Hawaii manager Brian Yoshii said. "Every kid had their moment."

The Hawaii club comes from a league that won the series in 2008, and it became the first Little League squad to play seven games in the tournament.