Japanese agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi voiced his intention to run for the Oct. 4 leadership election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at a meeting with his supporters in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, on Saturday.
“I will unite the LDP once again and engage with the opposition,” Koizumi, 44, elected to the House of Representatives from a constituency including Yokosuka, said at the meeting.
He will hold a press conference soon to formally announce his candidacy in the LDP leadership race to pick the successor of outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Koizumi will be running for the LDP presidency for the second time following his candidacy in last year’s leadership election.
In addition to Koizumi, those who are believed to be running or have clarified their candidacies in the upcoming LDP presidential election include former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 50, Sanae Takaichi, 64, who has also served as economic security minister, incumbent Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, and former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, 69, setting up a five-way race. Koizumi, with his high name recognition, appears to be one of the leading contenders at this stage.