Japan coach Takeshi Okada may start CSKA midfielder Keisuke Honda as a lone striker as the Blue Samurai look to boost their World Cup firepower.

Honda played up front in a short practice match in training at Japan's base camp of George on Tuesday as he did from time to time in previous sessions.

"Honda can keep the ball in play and beat opponents with his heading. He can also find his way toward the goal," Okada told reporters.

"I told him that he might possibly play in different positions."

Regular frontmen have failed to score as Japan lost four straight internationals in the run-up to the World Cup finals.

The lone goal in the four games was scored by Brazilian-born centre back Marcus Tulio Tanaka in the 2-1 defeat by England on May 30 in the Austrian city of Graz.

"It's something that has concerned us for 20 years," Okada said with a wry smile, referring to Japan's perennial problem in scoring.

Honda will turn 24 on Sunday on the eve of Japan's World Cup opener against Cameroon.

With tricky free kicks and a strong thrust forward, he has emerged from the shadow of former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura in Japan's national team, helping CSKA reach the Champions League quarter-finals since moving from Dutch side VVV Venlo in January.

He has scored four goals in 12 matches for Japan since his international debut in mid-2008.

But he has remained goalless after scoring one goal in the 2-0 win over Bahrain in an Asian Cup qualifier in March.

After four years with J-League powerhouse Nagoya Grampus, Honda moved to VVV Venlo in early 2008 and lifted them back to the top Dutch league Eredivisie for the 2008-2009 season. He usually played as a wing half at Venlo.

In an estimated nine million euro ($A14.21 million) deal, he joined CSKA in January and scored in a 1-0 win over Amkar Perm in their season opener.

He set up a goal and scored another away for a 3-2 aggregate victory over Sevilla to become the first Japanese player to reach the Champions League quarters in April. At CSKA, he has at times played as a defensive midfielder.

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