According to the Japan Times, the sport's governing body has outlined plans for a new professional circuit tentatively called "P League", although details are thin at such an early stage.

"That we are starting the pro league has been decided, but we are going to discuss on other things from now on," said Mitsuru Maruo, the JBA vice-president and National Basketball League (NBL) President.

The league is set to begin play for the 2016/2017 season, giving the JBA time to restructure the current domestic league system into a pyramidal shape.

This will provide room for a new "A League" and "B League", which will act as lower leagues below the new "P League".

The "A League" will also be a professional circuit and will serve as the "P League's" developmental league.

In contrast, the "B League" will be formed to create an open, non-professional league, giving an opportunity for those teams who do not wish to join the other two pro leagues the chance to compete in the new system.

The JBA had tried to unify the bj-league and Japanese Basketball League in 2013, however teams from the bj-league refused to collaborate over concerns that the league was not fully professional ©2013 The Asahi Shimbun



The new proposals come in light of the recently successful Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, with JBA acting President Yasuhiko Fukatsu describing the importance of putting basketball in the spotlight when the Games come to Tokyo in 2020.

"The Sochi Olympics that just wrapped up perhaps made you think this way," Fukatsu said.

"You have to be able to compete at the global level; otherwise your game won't gain recognition and won't have a path to the future."

Maruo added: "It's definitely huge that we have an Olympics here, but if our team can't make it, basketball will be over [in Japan].

"We don't want that to happen."

In order to organise the proposed new system, the JBA has formed a Professional League Organising Committee alongside a Committee for League Structure Reformation.

A Professional League Examination Committee will also be created by the JBA with plans to hold 10 monthly meetings with teams from the existing Japanese basketball leagues - the NBL, NBDL and bj-league - in order to get their reaction and thoughts on the proposed restructure.

The JBA seeks to set a timetable to determine which teams will join its new sanctioned league by June 2015.

The meetings will prove crucial in the success or failure of the proposed new leagues following the abandonment of the previous JBA unification of the bj-league and the NPL (previously the JPL) and NPDL in 2013.

The governing body had looked to unify each of the leagues under one banner however, teams from the bj-league rejected the proposal over concerns it was not a fully professional league.

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