Prior to halftime, Doan's right-side cross gave Japan the lead. Maeda, who scored from close range, nodded it down into his path.
Perisic scored Croatia's record goal in major tournaments in the 55th minut
Just a few minutes later, Modric came close to scoring with a long-range shot, but Gonda made a strong effort to push it over for a corner. It was positioned to enter the upper corner.
The regular time match ended in a 1-1 tie, forcing a penalty shootout. In extra time, no team was able to score.
Croatia defeated Japan on penalty kicks to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
During the shootout, Croatia only missed one penalty kick while Japan missed three.
The night's hero, Croatian goalie Livakovic, saved three penalties while his team scored three.
Japan had never reached in a World Cup quarterfinals.
In the round of eight, Croatia will now face either Brazil or South Korea.