Moniwa was called up to the Japan squad after Makoto Tanaka was forced to withdraw with a pulled hamstring. The centre-half made his international debut in August 2003 against Tunisia, but he has won only a handful of caps since then. Was a member of the squad for the Confederations Cup last year, but didn't make it on to the pitch. A regular for FC Tokyo for the last five seasons, he is unlikely to challenge for a starting spot in Germany.