Crystal Palace‘s Takehiro Tomiyasu won’t represent Japan during the ongoing international break after suffering a calf injury with the Premier League side.
The defender spent four years at Arsenal before leaving them as a free agent in 2025. He was without a club for several months until Ajax signed him in January.
He made nine appearances for the Eredivisie side, who released him at the end of last season. This allowed Crystal Palace to sign the 27-year-old for free in the summer.
Tomiyasu has played 280 minutes from five matches for the London club this season. Last weekend, he played 45 minutes in the Premier League side’s goalless draw against Leeds United.
Calf injury concern for Crystal Palace player
Last season, the former Bologna man didn’t feature for the Samurai Blue because of injuries. He made his first appearance over a year in the friendly against Iceland in May and represented them at the World Cup.
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu had Takehiro Tomiyasu in the squad for this international break. However, the Crystal Palace player won’t represent the national team because of the fresh setback.
The Japanese football association have confirmed his withdrawal on their official website.
A statement read: “We regret to inform you that Takehiro Tomiyasu (Crystal Palace) won’t be participating in the Kirin Challenge Cup 2026 matches on September 24th (Thu) and 28th (Mon), as well as the Kirin Cup 2026 matches on October 1st (Thu) and 5th (Mon), due to injury.”
There’s no mention about the nature of the setback. He picked up a calf injury in the Eagles’ last clash against Leeds United, according to Nikkei. Jefferson Lerma came on to replace him and played through an injury. He has decided not to represent Colombia.
Pierre Sage’s side will hope Tomiyasu won’t be out for long, considering his injury history. After the international break, the UEFA Conference League winners will face Nottingham Forest on October 11th.
| Every Crystal Palace signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight McNeil | Everton | Swap Deal |
| Anan Khalaili | Union Saint-Gilloise | £21m |
| Quinten Timber | Marseille | £17m |
| Zavier Gozo | Real Salt Lake | £11m |
| Darío Osorio | FC Midtjylland | Loan |
| Óscar Mingueza | Celta de Vigo | Free |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Ajax | Free |
| Ben Chilwell | Chelsea | Loan |
| Axel Disasi | Chelsea | Loan |
| Honest Ahanor | Atalanta | Loan |
| Walter Benítez | PSV Eindhoven | Free |
Japan squad and fixtures
The Samurai Blue will host Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama in the coming weeks.
Hajime Moriyasu’s squad for these four fixtures is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Leo Brian Kokubo (Sint-Truidense VV), Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa FC)
Defenders: Kou Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Tomoya Ando (FC St. Pauli), Hiroki Ito (FC Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre AC), Junnosuke Suzuki (FC Copenhagen)
Midfielders and forwards: Junya Ito (KRC Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace FC), Yuki Soma (FC Machida Zelvia), Daizen Maeda (Ipswich Town FC), Kaina Tanimura (Yokohama F. Marinos), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (LOSC Lille), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United FC), Shuto Nakano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Keito Nakamura (Olympique Lyonnais), Kaishu Sano (1.FSV Mainz 05), Koki Kumasaka (Kashiwa Reysol), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (SC Freiburg), Satoshi Tanaka (FC Schalke 04), Kuryu Matsuki (Southampton), Kodai Sano (PSV Eindhoven), Kento Shiogai (VfL Wolfsburg), Shunsuke Saito (KVC Westerlo), Keisuke Goto (SC Freiburg), Ryunosuke Sato (Valencia).
‼️🇩🇰 Exclusive: Dario Osorio | FC Midtjylland director on why Crystal Palace signing is special
💬 “From a character point of view, he puts the team first. That’s also demonstrated by his defensive work rate. He works very hard.”
➕ Much more 👇https://t.co/bD1bYFEIe2 #cpfc— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 20, 2026
