Former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu on Tuesday pulled out of Japan's squad for friendlies against Scotland and England because of injury, putting his World Cup hopes at further risk.
The 27-year-old was last week called up for the first time in almost two years, but he will now have no chance to play for his country before coach Hajime Moriyasu names his World Cup squad.
Tomiyasu started for his club Ajax against Feyenoord on Sunday, but he signalled to the bench in discomfort after going down and was substituted in the 73rd minute.
He said in an Instagram post that it was "part of a process".
"Haste makes waste. Do what you need to do," he wrote.
Japan play Scotland in Glasgow on Saturday before taking on England at Wembley three days later.
They have been drawn in Group F with the Netherlands, Tunisia and a European qualifier at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico which begins on June 11.
Tomiyasu left Arsenal in July last year with 12 months remaining on his contract in order to focus on his rehabilitation.
He signed for Ajax in December and returned to action in January for the first time since October 2024, although he has yet to complete 90 minutes for his new club.
He has 42 caps for Japan and played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He joined Arsenal from Bologna in August 2021 and made 84 appearances in all competitions during his time in London.