Kunio Kurata, the bj-league's director of officials since its establishment in 2005, has quietly retired. That shouldn't come as a big surprise; after all, the Shizuoka Prefecture native will turn 61 on Nov. 27, so he reached the mandatory retirement age early in the 2011-12 season.
The league has kept a low profile this summer, not releasing much news except for the usual flurry of personnel announcements for teams. League matters rarely get mentioned in the league's news releases, and Kurata's departure has not been widely publicized, nor has it been officially announced.
Veteran referee Tomoo Yuzuki has been named Kurata's successor, multiple sources confirmed on Wednesday.