01.05.2015 11:27 h

Japan's World Cup hopes sweetened by Sawa return

Japan's defence of the women's World Cup received a boost on Friday when superstar Homare Sawa returned to the fold for the tournament, which begins in Canada next month.

The 36-year-old, whose goals fired Japan to glory in 2011, had been hampered by injuries over the past year, but Japan coach Norio Sasaki insisted that Sawa's inclusion in the 23-player squad for her sixth World Cup was not on sentimental grounds.

"I haven't picked her for experience alone," he told reporters. "She's been selected to make the team stronger and to bring more tactical awareness.

"I've seen her play for (club side) Kobe and she puts her body on the line, and is focused for the full 90 minutes. With Sawa's essence added, the team becomes more powerful."

The World Cup kicks off on June 6 and finishes on July 5 in Vancouver.

Sawa, the 2011 FIFA women's player of the year, has not been involved in the national side since Japan underlined their strength by winning last year's Asian Cup.

Japan's "Nadeshiko" -- named after a frilly pink carnation -- embodied the iron-willed spirit of a nation battling to recover from the deadly tsunami and nuclear crisis four years ago by toppling the mighty United States in the World Cup final.

Sasaki's mini-musketeers, giving away an average of seven centimetres (three inches) in height to their opponents, had to settle for silver as the Americans exacted revenge at the 2012 Olympics.

But Japan will go into the tournament in confident mood with no fewer than 17 players having appeared in a World Cup, including skipper Aya Miyama, a two-time Asian player of the year.

The Japanese face Switzerland in their opening game, before taking on Cameroon and Ecuador. They play warm-up games at home against New Zealand and Italy later this month before flying out to North America.

"The backbone of the side is there with the experience," said Sasaki. "The players are all on the same page. They're all fighters."

Goalkeepers: Miho Fukumoto (Okayama), Ayumi Kaihori (Kobe), Erina Yamane (JEF United Chiba)

Defenders: Yukari Kinga (Kobe), Megumi Kamionobe (Niigata), Azusa Iwashimizu (Beleza), Aya Sameshima (Kobe), Saori Ariyoshi (Beleza), Kana Kitahara (Niigata), Yuri Kawamura (Sendai), Saki Kumagai (Olympique Lyonnais)

Midfielders: Homare Sawa (Kobe), Kozue Ando (Frankfurt), Aya Miyama (Okayama), Nahomi Kawasumi (Kobe), Mizuho Sakaguchi (Beleza), Asuna Tanaka (Kobe), Rumi Utsugi (Montpellier), Asano Nagasato (Potsdam)

Forwards: Shinobu Ono (Kobe), Yuki Ogimi (Wolfsburg), Yuika Sugasawa (Chiba), Mana Iwabuchi (Bayern Munich)