COLOGNE, GERMANY – World Cup striker Yuya Osako has been called up for Japan’s upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Venezuela, his German first-division club Cologne said on its official web site on Tuesday.

New Japan coach Javier Aguirre is to name his squad in Tokyo on Thursday for the games in Sapporo on Sept. 5 and Yokohama on Sept. 9.

Osako, who played in two of Japan’s games at the World Cup in Brazil in June, joined Cologne from second-tier 1860 Munich this summer.