Japan are planning to hold a training session covering all players – even those playing for European clubs – before the end of May.

Japan national team boss VahidHalilhodzic says that he will be setting different training regimes for players based on the energy levels. Players based in European football are likely to be drained after an extensive campaign. AC Milan's Keisuke Honda is one of the key players for the national team and keeping him fresh for the tournament will be the priority number one for Japan. The Japanese national team is preparing for the upcoming Kirin Cup, which starts in June.

The tournament features four teams – Japan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Denmark. A major doubt for the tournament is Hannover midfielder Hotaru Yamaguchi. The 25-year-old has not been in action for the last two months due to various injury issues. He has made only eight appearances in all competitions over the 2015-16 season. His latest problem is a broken nose, butHalilhodzic is expected to persuade the player to consider featuring for the national team by wearing protective gear. A number of players, in recent times, have played through nasal injuries while wearing protective gear. Success in the upcoming tournament is important forHalilhodzic considering that he has just completed a year in charge of the national team.

The former Lazio manager claimed that he is extremely pleased with his work and that 12 months has gone very quickly. “The (training) menus will be divided up according to the condition of the players and we will adjust the workload. This last year has gone by so quickly. There is less distance between myself and the players,” said the manager. Japan have been in excellent form over the last few games. They have won the last four World Cup qualifying games without exception.