Patrick Baumann, the secretary general of the International Basketball Federation, indicated Wednesday he would like to settle the issues that resulted in the Japan Basketball Association's indefinite international ban within six months.
Baumann, who met with Japanese Olympic Committee chairman Tsunekazu Takeda, will establish a task force of seven to eight members. The task force will aim to resolve the JBA's outstanding issues, including unifying Japan's two principle basketball leagues, the JBA's National Basketball League and the independent bj-league.
The FIBA executive also met with Hakubun Shimomura, who heads the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The plan is to have ministry officials on board with the task force as observers, while the members of the group itself will be recruited from among JOC staff, experts and business leaders. The team is expected to be led by either Baumann or FIBA treasurer Ingo Weiss.
According to a ministry source, Shimomura is seeking a quick end to Japan's ban from international play, calling it a "cruel blow to those practicing to compete at the (2016) Rio de Janeiro Games and at the (2020) Tokyo Olympics."
Baumann called Japan's basketball community underdeveloped and emphasized his conviction that it can be strengthened.