Under-fire national team manager Takeshi Okada on Thursday named Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto and four other European-based players to a full-strength squad for next week's 2011 Asian Cup final-round qualifier at home to Bahrain.
Along with Morimoto, Okada has recalled Espanyol playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and fellow midfielders Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble) and Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow) to a 20-man squad for Wednesday's match at Toyota Stadium.
Kashima Antlers striker Shinzo Koroki returns to the fold and FC Tokyo hit-man Sota Hirayama keeps his place in the squad, but Antlers captain Mitsuo Ogasawara, called up for the first time by Okada earlier this month, misses out.
"This is the only opportunity I have to call up players from overseas. The players I have left out this time will be given a chance in April," said Okada, referring to a World Cup warmup against Serbia scheduled for April 7 in Osaka.