As much as it pains Lost fans to wait until January for the show's final season to air, at least a couple casting tidbits this week have created new buzz and speculation across the Web.

First, John Hawkes was announced for the role of Lennon. This character will work as the spokesman for a foreign corporation... whatever that means.

But it's more than we know about the character to be played by Hiroyuki Shimosawa.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the Japanese star - who appeared in The Last Samurai and Speed Racer — will take on a “significant recurring” role, according to show insiders.

What does that translate into? Your guess is as good as ours, but we'll take any Lost scoop we can get!

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.