Lazio midfielder Daichi Kamada and Freiburg attacker Ritsu Doan were recalled to Samurai Blue on Wednesday for their first two second-round qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Manager Hajime Moriyasu named a full-strength side for Japan's Nov. 16 Group B opener against Myanmar at Panasonic Stadium in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, and against Syria five days later at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Japan is 18th in the FIFA rankings while Syria is 92nd, Myanmar 158th and North Korea, who the Samurai Blue will face twice in March in the same group, 115th. The top two teams from each of the nine second-round groups advance to the final Asian qualifying round.
"Second-round qualifiers are not that easy," Moriyasu told a news conference. "We had a big win (10-0) over Myanmar at home during the last qualifiers for Qatar but scored only two goals when we played away."
"There are teams in this group who we could have faced in the final round, and we mustn't forget the mindset of not letting our guard drop as we try to grind out wins."
Kamada and Doan were not picked for Japan's home friendly wins over Canada and Tunisia in October due to conditioning reasons. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Celtic forward Daizen Maeda, who withdrew before the two games, will also be back with the Samurai Blue.
Borussia Monchengladbach defender Ko Itakura, Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate and Reims attacker Keito Nakamura are all out injured.