(Reuters) - Japan midfielder Gaku Shibasaki joined up with his team mates in Australia on Tuesday after recovering from a bout of flu to complete the holders' 23-man Asian Cup squad.
The 22-year-old Kashima Antlers midfielder had been left behind in Japan to avoid passing on the bug to his team mates, who continued preparing for their Group D opener against Palestine on Monday.
"I've been ill but that is the way it goes sometimes," the midfielder was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.
"Hopefully I will be able to acclimatise and get in the right condition and ready to play.
"These are going to be my first competitive matches and so it will be special. Hopefully the team can perform well and get good results."
Shibasaki scored on his debut in September's 2-2 draw with Venezuela and has appeared in three other friendly matches for Javier Aguirre's side.
While the rest of the squad were given Tuesday off, Sagan Tosu striker Yohei Toyoda was scheduled for a short work out after also recovering from illness which he picked up en route to Australia.
"We have got these two back with us now and they are back on track. The mood is great in the team," Japan Football Association technical director Masahiro Shimoda said.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore, editing by Sudipto Ganguly)