The Peninsula
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said revenge was not on his mind as he named his squad on Tuesday for the World Cup in Qatar -- the scene of his country's biggest football heartbreak.
Former Barcelona youth star Takefusa Kubo and Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma were among the 26 players named as Japan prepares to take on Germany, Spain, and Costa Rica in a tough Group E.
Japan have appeared at the past six World Cups but they were denied a debut at the 1994 edition in the United States by a last-minute Iraq goal in their final qualifier in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
"We've got a great group of players and supporters and I'm looking forward to taking them to the World Cup in Qatar.
"My experience was a sad one, but I want to use the time we have left to make sure we turn the Doha tragedy into Doha joy."
Former Southampton defender Maya Yoshida will captain the side in his third World Cup, while left-back Yuto Nagatomo and goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima have been named in their fourth finals squads.
Japan start its World Cup campaign against Germany on November 23 before taking on Costa Rica on November 27 and Spain on December 1.
Japan squad:
Goalkeepers: Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg/FRA), Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden/BEL)
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Maya Yoshida (Schalke/GER), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal/ENG), Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Reds), Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield Town/ENG), Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale), Kou Itakura (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart/GER)
Midfielders: Wataru Endo (Stuttgart/GER), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting/POR), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf/GER), Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Junya Ito (Reims/FRA), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton/ENG), Takumi Minamino (Monaco/FRA), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus), Gaku Shibasaki (Leganes/ESP), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad/ESP), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg/GER)
Forwards: Daizen Maeda (Celtic/SCO), Takuma Asano (Bochum/GER), Ayase Ueda (Cercle Brugge/BEL)