Saburo Kawabuchi, the former head of the Japan Football Association, will be appointed as new chairman of the Japan Basketball Association, an informed source said Tuesday.
Kawabuchi, honorary president of the JFA, heads a reform task force instigated by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which has banned Japan from international competition until various reforms are carried out.
Masaaki Okawa, who helped establish the J. League's third division, will be the head of the new top-flight basketball league established earlier this month.
The league will begin its first season in October 2016 and will merge the existing 13 team National Basketball League and the current 22-team bj-league into a new entity, a planned three-tier circuit. One of FIBA's principle demands for restoring Japan's international status was executing a merger between the leagues.
The JBA board members and senior officials decided to step down following the FIBA ban. The next board will be established in the middle of May.