A three-man arbitration committee confirmed Wednesday that it will determine the amount of Seibu Lions ace Hideaki Wakui's 2011 salary by the end of the month.
The committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Friday with the club and Wakui, who has insisted that his 2010 performance is worth a pay raise.
The 24-year-old went 14-8 with a 3.67 ERA in 27 starts in the fifth consecutive season that he has posted double-digit wins.
The Seibu front office stood firm with an offer of ¥200 million, unchanged from 2010, plus performance bonuses.
"We'll listen to both sides, deliberate and make a fair and appropriate decision before the start of training camp (in February)," arbitration committee chief Katsuhiko Kumazaki said.