Katsuyuki Nakasuga will make it six Japanese MotoGP appearances in a row, having being confirmed by Yamaha as returning for his annual wild-card in next weekend's event.

The factory MotoGP test rider, triple Suzuka 8 Hours winner and five time Japanese Superbike champion will be looking to beat his previous best Motegi finish of eighth, in 2015, having crossed the line in eleventh last year.

Nakasuga's best MotoGP finish was second place in the damp 2012 Valencia Grand Prix, while replacing the injured Ben Spies.