With Japan's place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup already secured, and after a long and arduous season at club level for many of their Europe-based players, there was always a chance that the Samurai Blue were not going to be at full strength this international window.
Even so, there is an inescapable unfamiliarity with the 27-man squad that Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has assembled for their upcoming Asian qualifiers against Australia and Indonesia.
There are still some recognisable names.
Captain Wataru Endō, coming off the high of winning the Premier League with Liverpool, Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo, newly-crowned FA Cup champion Daichi Kamada of Crystal Palace and veteran defender Yūto Nagatomo all provide proven quality and much-needed experience.
Led by Nagatomo, who is slowly but steadily approaching Yasuhito Endō's appearance record of 152 caps, the quartet has combined for a total of 293 international games.
Remarkably, the other 23 members of the current Samurai Blue roster only have 92 caps altogether.
17 of these players have five or less international appearances to their names, with eight in line to make their senior debut for Japan.
Although the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Takumi Minamino, Kō Itakura, Ritsu Dōan, Hidemasa Morita and Ayase Ueda are unlikely to be sweating too much over their place in the national team while they enjoy a much-deserved rest, there are spots that could be up for grabs -- especially with the World Cup still a year away.
So, which of Japan's new faces have a realistic chance of forcing their way into Moriyasu's plans for next summer?
Goalkeepers
Zion Suzuki, 22, 18 caps
Keisuke Ōsako, 25, 8 caps
Kōsei Tani, 24, 2 caps
It is business as usual here.
All three goalkeepers in the current squad have been regular features throughout the qualifying campaign, with Parma's Suzuki the undisputed No. 1 even if he is the youngest of the trio.
Ōsako and Tani have both established themselves among the best custodians in the J1 League and will be hoping to at least add to their cap tally over the next week.
Another domestic-based option in Vissel Kobe's Daiya Maekawa remains the most likely to join the reckoning.
Notable absentees: Daiya Maekawa
Defenders
Yūto Nagatomo, 39, 142 caps
Kōki Machida, 27, 16 caps
Ayumu Seko, 24, 5 caps
Tsuyoshi Watanabe, 28, 3 caps
Kōta Takai, 20, 2 caps
Hiroki Sekine, 22, 0 caps
Junnosuke Suzuki, 21, 0 caps
142-capped Nagatomo is showing no signs of slowing down even at the age of 39 and could find himself featuring in what would be a remarkable fifth World Cup, which has only been achieved by four players previously: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lothar Matthäus and Rafael Márquez.
Having sat out Japan's previous two qualifiers, it will be interesting to see if Nagatomo gets a runout or if he will still be kept in reserve considering he is a known quantity.
Machida, the next most-experienced defender in the squad with 16 caps, will be one that will be looking tighten his grip on a World Cup berth.
Whenever he has been called upon, including at last year's AFC Asian Cup, the Union SG man has been a reliable contributor but is arguably one of several jostling for the third centre-back berth -- with Itakura and Bayern Munich's Hiroki Itō almost certain starters if fit.
Seko is another based in Europe who has been given his chance of late, starting in two of Japan's past three qualifiers, but it is 20-year-old Takai who promises to be the Samurai Blue's next star defender.
At the age of 28 but with just three caps to his name, Watanabe has reached a pivotal stage of his international career, while Sekine -- a member of the team that won last year's AFC U-23 Asian Cup and went on to feature at the Paris Olympics -- will be looking for his first cap after breaking through in Europe in the first half of 2025.
One to keep an eye on is 21-year-old Suzuki, who is a rare case of a player who has never featured for Japan at any youth level before but has now been rewarded with a senior opportunity on the back of some creditable displays in the J1 League despite playing for unfancied Shonan Bellmare.
Notable absentees: Kō Itakura, Hiroki Itō, Yukinari Sugawara, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders
Wataru Endō, 32, 69 caps
Takefusa Kubo, 23, 42 caps
Daichi Kamada, 28, 40 caps
Keito Nakamura, 24, 16 caps
Kaishu Sano, 24, 4 caps
Joel Chima Fujita, 23, 2 caps
Ryōya Morishita, 28, 2 caps
Yū Hirakawa, 24, 0 caps
Koki Kumasaka, 24, 0 caps
Shunsuke Mito, 22, 0 caps
Kodai Sano, 21, 0 caps
Ryūnosuke Satō, 18, 0 caps
Kōta Tawaratsumida, 21, 0 caps
Not much more needs to be said about Endō, Kubo and Kamada, who are almost locked in for Japan's World Cup squad.
Kamada has however had to settle for a reserve role regularly and could be looking to seize his opportunity in the absence of Minamino.
Likewise, Nakamura is an undoubted talent who perhaps just needs to prove he can fit in the system.
Moriyasu's adventurous 3-4-2-1 formation has seen the likes of Mitoma and Dōan perform admirably as wing-backs despite their natural attacking tendencies. Nakamura is a gifted winger but will need to prove he is also willing to do more than his usual share of defensive duties.
Kaishu Sano and Fujita could be given a chance to show what they can add to the engine room although it will be the two central midfield spots are likely to be monopolised by Endō, Morita and Ao Tanaka.
Morishita, Hirakawa, Mito and Kodai Sano -- younger brother of Kaishu -- all obviously have quality given they have earned moves to Europe but must now take any opportunity with both hands.
Special mention has to go to Kumasaka, who has come from nowhere to reach the national team fold.
The 24-year-old defensive midfielder entered the 2025 season with just one previous professional league start but has since established himself as a regular for high-flying Kashiwa Reysol.
Likewise, FC Tokyo's Tawaratsumida and 18-year-old Satō, who has forced his way into the starting XI of newly-promoted Fagiano Okayama of late, have been recognised for their form on the domestic front.
Notable absentees: Kaoru Mitoma, Takumi Minamino, Ritsu Dōan, Hidemasa Morita, Junya Itō, Ao Tanaka
Forwards
Shūto Machino, 25, 6 caps
Mao Hosoya, 23, 6 caps
Yūki Ōhashi, 28, 1 cap
Yuito Suzuki, 23, 1 cap
Ueda has spent the last couple of years as the Samurai Blue's undisputed focal point in attack and, when he was sidelined with injury earlier in the campaign, Kōki Ogawa proved a more-than-capable replacement.
With neither present this time around, it will be fascinating to see who is at the front of the line -- figuratively, and literally.
It is testament to Japan's depth that they have left out five regular attacking options and still have three Europe-based players as options to lead the line.
Machino was a member of their last World Cup team but did not make a single appearance, while Hosoya -- the only domestic-based forward of the quartet called up -- did feature at last year's Asian Cup.
Nonetheless, the one that has been promising to make a breakthrough over the last 12 months has been Ōhashi, whose free-scoring ways in the J1 League with Sanfrecce Hiroshima earned him a move to Championship outfit Blackburn -- where he made a red-hot start to life before tapering off.
The final player listed among the forwards -- Suzuki -- is more likely to be deployed in a withdrawn or wider role, although his scoring record will suggest there is no reason why he cannot be the main man in attack after 21 goals in 58 games for Brøndby in Denmark earned him a big move to the Bundesliga with Freiburg this summer.
Notable absentees: Ayase Ueda, Kōki Ogawa, Takuma Asano, Daizen Maeda, Kyōgo Furuhashi