Japan coach Takeshi Okada said Monday he is thinking of announcing his final 23-man squad for this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa on either May 17 or 18.
"The league program finishes on May 16. We will have a look at the situation regarding injuries and the like and it (the squad announcement) will be the next day or the day after that," Okada told reporters.
The J. League first division enters the World Cup break after the 12th round of matches are played May 15 and 16. The final round of matches in Spain, where midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura plays for Espanyol, wraps up on May 16 with the season in Europe's other top leagues also coming to a close by the same date.