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TOKYO -- Japan coach Javier Aguirre opted for experience on Monday when he named his 23-man squad for next month's AFC Asian Cup, where the defending champions will be bidding for a record fifth title. Aguirre named Europe-based regulars including Keisuke Honda of AC Milan, Shinji Okazaki of Mainz and Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund for the tournament in Australia which takes place from Jan. 9-31. Aguirre selected Hannover midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake for the first time since taking over as Japan coach, but veteran striker Yoshito Okubo of Kawasaki Frontale, who led the J-League with 18 goals this season, was not included. Drawn in Group D with Palestine, Jordan and Iraq, Japan have dominated the continental competition over the past two decades, winning in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. Aguirre insisted on Monday that his team will not be distracted by reports that authorities in Spain are moving to prosecute him and 30 others on suspicion of fixing a La Liga game against Levante, when the 56-year-old managed Zaragoza in May 2011. "At the Asian Cup I will just be concentrating on the sports and competition-side of things," Aguirre told reporters when asked about the allegations that he denied in a meeting with the Japan Football Association. Japan squad: Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds). Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Kosuke Ota (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Tsukasa Shiotani (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart), Gen Shoji (Kashima Antlers). Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt), Shinji Kagawa (Dortmund), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Hannover), Gaku Shibasaki (Kashima Antlers). Forwards: Yohei Toyoda (Sagan Tosu), Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Yu Kobayashi (Kawasaki Frontale), Takashi Inui (Eintracht Frankfurt), Yoshinori Muto (FC Tokyo).
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