In a swift announcement that will have major repercussions for the future of the sport, bj-league commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi revealed Thursday the bj-league's plans for the 2011-12 season.

Kawachi said four expansion franchises — based in Iwate, Chiba, Nagano and Kanagawa prefectures — have been awarded, raising the number of teams to 20, or 12 more than the current number of squads in the rival JBL.

This announcement seems to support the notion that the so-called merger talks between the leagues and the Japan Basketball Association, the sport's governing body, in 2012 or 2013 are nothing but lip service, a far-fetched fantasy.