New Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Real Sociedad attacker Takefusa Kubo were all named in the 26-man Japan squad announced Thursday ahead of September's international friendlies against Germany and Turkey.
Manager Hajime Moriyasu recalled Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu and Dusseldorf midfielder Ao Tanaka but opted to leave out in-form Monaco attacker Takumi Minamino and the J1's leading scorer Yuya Osako of Vissel Kobe.
Cerezo Osaka defender Seiya Maikuma was the only new call-up as Japan prepare for a Sept. 9 away rematch against Germany -- whom they famously came back to beat 2-1 in Qatar. Three days after that game in Wolfsburg, Japan take on Turkey in Genk, Belgium.
"We'll be out to figure out where we stand now by playing these teams with strength," Moriyasu told a press conference. "We hope to share and broaden our tactics ahead of the second round of World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup."
Japan, 20th in the FIFA rankings, will be playing away from home for the first time since the World Cup. Germany are ranked 15th and Turkey 41st.
Japan squad:
Goalkeepers: Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden), Kosuke Nakamura (Portimonense), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Defenders: Shogo Taniguchi (Al Rayyan), Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ryoya Morishita (Nagoya Grampus), Koki Machida (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Seiya Maikuma (Cerezo Osaka), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart), Daiki Hashioka (Sint-Truiden), Yukinari Sugawara (AZ Alkmaar)
Midfielders/Forwards: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito, Keito Nakamura (both Reims), Takuma Asano (Bochum), Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda (both Celtic), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting Lisbon), Daichi Kamada (Lazio), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Atsuki Ito (Urawa Reds), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Dusseldorf), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
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