Defender Saki Kumagai was among 10 players nominated Thursday for the Best FIFA Women's Player 2016 award.
Kumagai, who helped Japan win the 2011 Women's World Cup, won the European Champions League, along with a domestic league and cup double with her French club Olympique Lyonnais.
The list also features three players from the Germany team that won the Rio Olympic gold medal: Melanie Behringer, Sara Dabritz and Dzsenifer Marozsan.
The winner of the award will be chosen through a combined voting process, in which 50 percent of the decision will be based on the choices of captains and head coaches from women's national teams around the globe, according to FIFA.
The other 50 percent will be determined by an online public ballot and submissions from a selected group of over 200 media representatives around the world.
The award ceremony will take place on Jan. 9, 2017.