Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara -- who scored five goals in the 2000 championship -- was also named in the squad alongside Nakamura.

Japan coach Ivica Osim named 30 players in the bid to win a third straight continental title thanks to a new regulation that includes seven reserve players to take account of injuries.

Osim, who guided the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarterfinals, plans to decide on the 23 starting players only days before the team's opening match on July 9. J-League games continue until the end of June.

"We have more time to make selections. I must think about that as we have three more games in the J-League and players may get injured," said Osim.

"Among the participating countries, Japan are the only one where a league competition is still being played and we don't have enough time to prepare. It's a big disadvantage."

Of other Europe-based players, Osim did not call up Basel's Koji Nakata or Frankfurt's Junichi Inamoto, but he denied it was because their poor performances in the Kirin Cup two weeks ago.

Japan will play 2006 Asian Games gold medallists Qatar on July 9, the United Arab Emirates on July 13 and minnows Vietnam on July 16 in the Asian Cup co-hosted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.