TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan and Sint-Truiden defender Shogo Taniguchi could miss the rest of the season after suffering a suspected Achilles tendon tear, local Belgian media HBVL reported Friday.

The 33-year-old went down holding his left ankle and was helped off in the 14th minute of Sint-Truiden's 2-1 home win over Mechelen in the Belgian top flight. The veteran was named in the Japan squad for their two upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but has been replaced by Hiroki Sekine of Kashiwa Reysol on Saturday.

"Initial verdict looks like an Achilles tendon tear," manager Felice Mazzu was quoted as saying by HBVL, which suggested the season could be over for the former Kawasaki Frontale and Al Rayyan player.

Taniguchi is set to join Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bayern Munich's Hiroki Ito on the list of long-term absentees for Japan, who will play away to Indonesia on Friday and China four days later in Asian final-round qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.