Japan coach Takeshi Okada said Thursday he has decided not to call up key players such as Yasuhito Endo and Keiji Tamada for a training camp set to get under way on Jan. 10 to give them some rest.
"I want to have those players rest for at least two weeks," Okada said after a national team staff meeting in Tokyo.
Endo and Tamada are expected to play in an Emperor's Cup quarterfinal match between Gamba Osaka and Nagoya Grampus on Dec. 25.