With the third World Baseball Classic less than three weeks away, the 33 invitees to manager Koji Yamamoto's Samurai Japan training camp will gather Thursday in Miyazaki and begin training the following day.

The Chunichi Dragons, who didn't send a single player to Japan's 2009 championship squad, have four players coming to Yamamoto's camp at Miyazaki's Sun Marine Stadium, but only one of the four, veteran shortstop Hirokazu Ibata, appears to be in top shape at the moment.

Center fielder Yohei Oshima has been hampered by an elbow injury that required him to leave the Dragons' camp in Okinawa briefly to have it examined in Nagoya. Right-handed relievers Takuya Asao and Daisuke Yamai have also been having issues.