The Japan Football Association on Friday announced the 27 members who will take part in training camp for the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.
Midfielder Keisuke Honda, 31, who is looking to appear in the World Cup finals for a third successive time, has been included in the squad.
Japan recalled both midfielder Shinji Kagawa, 29, who suffered an injury to his left leg, and forward Shinji Okazaki, 32, who has not been in the squad since September last year.
They have been chosen from 35 players selected for a preliminary roster that has already been submitted to FIFA, but has not been made public.
The team is set to face Ghana in a warm-up match at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on May 30 before the final 23-man Samurai Blue squad is announced the following day.
"I selected players who will be in the best condition on June 19 [when the team competes in its opening match], trying to imagine what the team will look like," Samurai Blue coach Akira Nishino said at a press conference in Tokyo. The 63-year-old assumed the post in April following the dismissal of his predecessor.
Japan will play in Group H at the Cup finals, facing off against Colombia on June 19, Senegal on June 25 and Poland on June 28 (Japan time).
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