Japan selects Tomiyasu for World Cup roster as Mitoma sits out due to injury
The centre-back, now at Ajax following the mutual termination of his Arsenal deal last year, earned a spot in the 26-player lineup revealed by the manager in Tokyo last Friday.
Tomiyasu, whose most recent outing for Japan came versus Syria in 2024, featured in the March call-up prior to pulling out, and Moriyasu indicated he might feature against Iceland in Tokyo on May 31.
Even though he has not featured in competitive games lately for strategic purposes, our medical team has assured us his fitness is sound, manager Moriyasu explained to the press.
We also have the Iceland friendly ahead, offering him a chance to build match sharpness in a demanding fixture and improve his form towards the World Cup, which influenced our decision to pick him.
Among those chosen were Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, battling a season marred by injuries, and 39-year-old wing-back Yuto Nagatomo, eyeing a fifth World Cup outing.
He has resumed ball work and is approaching match readiness, Moriyasu noted regarding Endo.
He remains a key pillar for us, not only in gameplay contributions but also in providing mental and emotional backing to the group.
Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Kaoru Mitoma missed selection owing to a hamstring problem picked up in the recent match versus Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Following Mitomas injury, the medical assessment indicated a tough timeline for his return within the tournament, Moriyasu continued.
With that in mind, we opted against including him, and reshaping the squad thereafter posed my greatest challenge.
Japan advanced to the last 16 in the previous two World Cups, falling to Belgium in 2018 and to Croatia via penalties in Qatar four years on.
Moriyasu, entering his second World Cup at the helm, described assembling the team as a difficult task.
A host of players possess the quality to shine and succeed globally for Japan, he remarked.
Thus I truly regret excluding them, more than just slightly, but profoundly so.
Nevertheless, I believe this is the optimal group of 26 to secure victories on the international stage at present.
Japan opens its eighth World Cup campaign against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 14, followed by Tunisia on June 20 and Sweden on June 25 in the rest of Group F matches.
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki (Parma), Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Hiroshima)
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Junnosuke Suzuki (FC Kopenhagen)
Midfielders/Forwards: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Keito Nakamura (Stade Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden)