Newly-appointed head coach Akira Nishino announced his 23-man provisional Japan squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia at a press conference in Tokyo.
Nishino named an experienced team, including the likes of goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, defenders Yuto Nagatomo and Maya Yoshida, midfielders Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa—all with multiple World Cup appearances.
The majority of the squad ply their trade for clubs in Europe, while eight play for teams in the J-League, the country’s domestic league.
The one outlier from the trend is Honda, who plays for Pachuca in Mexico.
Japan were defeated by Ghana 2-0 in an international friendly on Wednesday.
Their next international friendly is on June 8 against Switzerland in Lugano before playing Paraguay on June 12 in Innsbruck.
Japan is in Group H at the World Cup, where they will compete against Colombia, Senegal and Poland.