Paraguay-based midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama was on Thursday given the chance to make his international debut at the upcoming Kirin Cup after being included in Japan's 22-man squad for the three-nation tournament kicking off on June 28.
Hiroyama, currently at Cerro Porteno on loan from J. League side JEF United Ichihara, joins fellow uncapped midfielder Chikara Fujimoto of Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Philippe Troussier's side to play Paraguay on July 1 and Yugoslavia on July 4.
Feyenoord-bound midfielder Shinji Ono and Yokohama F Marinos goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi are among 18 players included in the squad that finished second at the Confederations Cup recently held in Japan and South Korea.
Troussier recalled Kashima Antlers' in-form striker Atsushi Yanagisawa but decided to rest European-based pair Hidetoshi Nakata and Akinori Nishizawa, who have just completed domestic seasons with AS Roma and Espanyol, respectively.
Out through injury are Jubilo Iwata's Hiroshi Nanami and Naohiro Takahara along with F Marinos playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura.
Paraguay meets Yugoslavia in the opening match at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Japan will play at two of the 10 venues that will host World Cup matches in Japan next year, taking on Paraguay at Sapporo Dome before traveling down to Oita Stadium to play Yugoslavia.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.