Hajime Moriyasu has overseen a generational change in his time managing the Samurai Blue, resulting in a fresh-faced group of players representing Japan at the 2022 World Cup.
At 39, goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima is the elder statesman of the squad featuring eight players over 30, but it would be a mistake to presume he has transitioned to only a mentorship role at his fourth World Cup.
The Strasbourg stopper bristled at the notion that he might be in Qatar primarily to provide a veteran presence in the dressing room when the subject was raised at Japan's camp on Sunday.