The 30-year-old has signed a three-year contract after playing just five times for Rennes since his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer.

The former Fulham and West Brom midfielder will return to the J League for the first time since he left Gamba Osaka for Arsenal in 2001 in a bid to boost his World Cup chances.

"Kawasaki is the place where I can play the type of football I want to play," said Inamoto.

"I know that Kawasaki have been close to winning a title in the last two to three years and I hope I can help them make it one step further with my performances.

"I've have got an impression that J League football has got quicker and now has better players.

"It will be important to get used to the environments in Japan and train with my team-mates as much as I can, but I can take advantage of communicating with them in Japanese."

Last season Kawasaki finished as runner-up in the J League for a second consecutive season, while also reaching the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League although Tsutomu Takahata will be at the helm this season after stepping up from assistant following the departure of Takashi Sekizuka.

"I hope Junichi can guide the team with his experience and with his aggressive performance in midfield to help win the championship," said Takahata.