Kawashima represented the Japan U20 side impressing in the AFC Youth Championship and being named Goalkeeper of the Tournament despite losing 1–0 to South Korea U20 in the final.

Kawashima was called up by Japan for the first time in March 2007.
He initially appeared as an unused substitute bench, including the Asian Cup.
On 17 February 2008 Kawashima made his Japan debut in a 1–1 draw against North Korea.
He made another appearance for the national side on 20 January 2009, in a 2–1 win over Yemen.
By the end of 2009, Kawashima kept four clean sheets in three victories and one draw.

In May 2010, Kawashima was selected for the World Cup squad and was expected to serve as backup to Seigo Narazaki.
In a friendly match on 30 May against England, he was the starting goalkeeper and produced many saves.
He denied Frank Lampard twice, including a penalty kick, and a shot by Wayne Rooney before eventually being beaten by two own goals.
Afterwards, it was announced that Kawashima was selected to be the first choice goalkeeper for the FIFA World Cup ahead of Narazaki.
He played his first Group E match against Cameroon on 14 June 2010, where Japan recorded its first World Cup win on foreign soil with a score of 1–0.
Five days later, on 19 June 2010 between against the Netherlands, Kawashima was the starter; he deflected a shot from Wesley Sneijder but it went in his own net as the team lost 0–1.
In the match against Denmark on 24 June he allowed one goal through Jon Dahl Tomasson's penalty kick, but the team still won 3–1 and advanced to the round of 16.
On 29 June, he allowed no goals against Paraguay but was unable to save a single spot-kick during the penalty shoot-out, which Paraguay won 5–3.

After the FIFA World Cup came to an end, Kawashima played two matches against Paraguay and Argentina.
In December 2010, it was announced that Kawashima was selected by the national team for the 2011 Asian Cup.
He played his first match of the tournament starting in a 1–1 draw against Jordan on 9 January 2011.
On 13 January, however, he was sent off for causing a penalty in the group stage match against Syria, but Japan went on to win the game 2–1.
After serving a one-match suspension he returned to the squad in a 3–2 win over Qatar in the quarter–final.
In the semi-final against South Korea on 26 January Kawashima saved two penalty shoot-out shots to enable Japan to advance.
On 29 January, Kawashima kept a clean sheet in the Final as Japan won 1–0; he was chosen as Man of the Match.
After the match Kawashima spoke about winning the Asian Cup.

Following the Asian Cup tournament, Kawashima kept four consecutive clean sheets in a row against Peru, Czech Republic, South Korea and North Korea.
He kept two more clean sheets against Tajikistan in both matches, both of which were victories.
Between 23 May 2012 and 8 June 2012 Kawashima kept three clean sheets in a row against Azerbaijan, Oman and Jordan.
Later in the year, he kept more three clean sheets in a row for the second time this year against UAE, Iraq and France.

In May 2013, Kawashima was called up by the national side for the 2013 Confederations Cup squad.
He won his 48th cap for his country in a 2–1 loss against Mexico on 22 June 2013, as he went on to feature all three matches, all of them resulted in losses while Japan was eliminated from the tournament.
Despite the defeat, Kawashima's performance was praised by Brazilian sports newspaper "Reims".

In May 2014, Kawashima was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In the end, he made it to the final cut for the 23 man squad.
Kawashima started all three matches, but was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage.
He kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw against Greece on 20 June 2014.
After the match Kawashima reflected about his time at the World Cup in Brazil, later stating that his performance against Colombia haunted him.
On 14 October 2014, he captained the national side for the first time, in a 4–0 loss against Brazil.

In December 2014, Kawashima was named in Japan's squad for the Asian Cup in Austra
Kawashima represented the Japan U20 side impressing in the AFC Youth Championship and being named Goalkeeper of the Tournament despite losing 1–0 to South Korea U20 in the final.
Kawashima was called up by Japan for the first time in March 2007. He initially appeared as an unused substitute bench, including the Asian Cup. On 17 February 2008 Kawashima made his Japan debut in a 1–1 draw against North Korea. He made another appearance for the national side on 20 January 2009, in a 2–1 win over Yemen. By the end of 2009, Kawashima kept four clean sheets in three victories and one draw.
In May 2010, Kawashima was selected for the World Cup squad and was expected to serve as backup to Seigo Narazaki. In a friendly match on 30 May against England, he was the starting goalkeeper and produced many saves. He denied Frank Lampard twice, including a penalty kick, and a shot by Wayne Rooney before eventually being beaten by two own goals. Afterwards, it was announced that Kawashima was selected to be the first choice goalkeeper for the FIFA World Cup ahead of Narazaki. He played his first Group E match against Cameroon on 14 June 2010, where Japan recorded its first World Cup win on foreign soil with a score of 1–0. Five days later, on 19 June 2010 between against the Netherlands, Kawashima was the starter; he deflected a shot from Wesley Sneijder but it went in his own net as the team lost 0–1. In the match against Denmark on 24 June he allowed one goal through Jon Dahl Tomasson's penalty kick, but the team still won 3–1 and advanced to the round of 16. On 29 June, he allowed no goals against Paraguay but was unable to save a single spot-kick during the penalty shoot-out, which Paraguay won 5–3.
After the FIFA World Cup came to an end, Kawashima played two matches against Paraguay and Argentina. In December 2010, it was announced that Kawashima was selected by the national team for the 2011 Asian Cup. He played his first match of the tournament starting in a 1–1 draw against Jordan on 9 January 2011. On 13 January, however, he was sent off for causing a penalty in the group stage match against Syria, but Japan went on to win the game 2–1. After serving a one-match suspension he returned to the squad in a 3–2 win over Qatar in the quarter–final. In the semi-final against South Korea on 26 January Kawashima saved two penalty shoot-out shots to enable Japan to advance. On 29 January, Kawashima kept a clean sheet in the Final as Japan won 1–0; he was chosen as Man of the Match. After the match Kawashima spoke about winning the Asian Cup.
Following the Asian Cup tournament, Kawashima kept four consecutive clean sheets in a row against Peru, Czech Republic, South Korea and North Korea. He kept two more clean sheets against Tajikistan in both matches, both of which were victories. Between 23 May 2012 and 8 June 2012 Kawashima kept three clean sheets in a row against Azerbaijan, Oman and Jordan. Later in the year, he kept more three clean sheets in a row for the second time this year against UAE, Iraq and France.
In May 2013, Kawashima was called up by the national side for the 2013 Confederations Cup squad. He won his 48th cap for his country in a 2–1 loss against Mexico on 22 June 2013, as he went on to feature all three matches, all of them resulted in losses while Japan was eliminated from the tournament. Despite the defeat, Kawashima's performance was praised by Brazilian sports newspaper "Reims".
In May 2014, Kawashima was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In the end, he made it to the final cut for the 23 man squad. Kawashima started all three matches, but was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. He kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw against Greece on 20 June 2014. After the match Kawashima reflected about his time at the World Cup in Brazil, later stating that his performance against Colombia haunted him. On 14 October 2014, he captained the national side for the first time, in a 4–0 loss against Brazil.
In December 2014, Kawashima was named in Japan's squad for the Asian Cup in Austra
Eiji Kawashima