Celtic pair Reo Hatate and Kyogo have been left out of Japan's World Cup squad for Qatar.
Parkhead forward Daizen Maeda did make the cut but there was surprise over the decision by Hajime Moriyasu not to include either Kyogo or Hatate in his final selection. However, The Samurai Blue boss has placed his faith in Maeda who has played the most minutes out the trio en route to the world's premier international competition.
Hatate was regarded as an outside chance to make the final cut but the decision to leave Kyogo at home will surprise many with the Celtic forward earning 15 caps in two calendar years - but it isn't enough to feature in Qatar. A reserve list will be drafted and the 27-year-old former Vissel Kobe forward will likely feature prominently on it if there are call-offs. Japan face a challenging group after being drawn with Spain, Costa Rica and Germany in Group E.
Japan's 26-man squad for the World Cup
Goalkeepers: Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden), Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg)
Defenders: Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Schalke), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale), Ko Itakura (Borussia MG), Junya Ito (Stuttgart), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield)
Midfielders: Wataru Endo (Stuttgart), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Gaku Shibasaki (Leganes), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Junya Ito (Reims), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus)
Forwards: Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Takuma Asano (Bochum), Ayase Ueda (Cercle Brugge)
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