TOKYO, Aug 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Brighton's in-form Kaoru Mitoma returned to the Japan squad on Thursday as Hajime Moriyasu's side eye an eighth straight appearance at the World Cup.

Japan face China at home on September 5 and Bahrain away five days later to start the decisive third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The 27-year-old winger Mitoma has not featured for Japan since the Asian Cup in Qatar in January, where injury restricted him to two substitute appearances.

He was ruled out for the rest of last season after he returned to Brighton but he has started the new campaign in good form with one goal and one assist in his side's perfect start.

Japan coach Moriyasu wants his team to make a fast start to the third qualifying round.

"They will be tough games but we have to go into them with a winning mindset and prepare well for each one," he said.

"We want to maximise our potential and give everything in these games."

Japan have also been drawn with Australia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in a tough Group C.

The top two teams qualify automatically for the finals, with the third and fourth-placed sides going into a further round of qualifying.

Mitoma is joined in the squad by three other Premier League players in Liverpool's Wataru Endo, Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada and Southampton's Yukinari Sugawara.

There was also a recall for Reims winger Junya Ito, who has not featured since he left the Asian Cup squad after a Japanese magazine published allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in a hotel in Osaka last year.

Japanese prosecutors dropped charges against the player earlier this month and he has denied any wrongdoing.

Moriyasu had previously said he had not subsequently called up Ito to "protect" him.

The coach said the time was right to bring him back into the fold.

"The player and the team have to be able to work in an environment where they can focus on their football, and up until now I doubted that would be the case," he said.

Former captain Makoto Hasebe was invited to join the squad as a coach for the games against China and Bahrain.

Hasebe retired from playing aged 40 at the end of last season and is working as a coach with German side Eintracht Frankfurt's under-21 team.