Momota, who became the first Japanese man to win a World Championships medal with bronze at last year’s event in Jakarta and won the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Superseries Finals last December, was suspended in April alongside his NTT East Japan team-mate Kenichi Tago.

However, sources of Kyodo News say the 22-year-old, a former world number two, could be in line for a return to the sport.

"He has been working diligently (at his company NTT East), training with a great attitude and has been taking part in charity work too," Nippon Badminton Association (NBA) executive director Kinji Zeniya said.

"It's also a duty of the association to protect the potential of young players.

"We'll make the decision with discretion in a way that will be understood by the public."

If Momota returns in May as expected, he will likely compete in the Japanese National Championships at the end of next year.

The event serves as a selection trial for the 2018 national team.

Momota, who had been expected to lead the Japanese team at the Rio 2016 Olympics, admitted to visiting a casino six times.

Both he and Tago confessed to placing bets at an underground casino which had been raided by police last year.

They were suspended by the NBA for "more than a year" leading to their removal from the men's singles world and Olympic ranking lists.

The BWF Council agreed in 2014 that any player suspended for more than a year would be removed from all rankings.

Gambling is largely illegal in Japan and those found to have engaged in the practice can be sentenced to up to five years in jail.

Publicly-operated gambling, including on sports such as horse racing and on keirin races in cycling, is allowed under Japanese law.