Taro Yamamoto, leader of the political party Reiwa Shinsengumi, told a news conference in the Diet hall on Monday that he would run for governor of Tokyo in next month's election.
Although the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has been lobbying for Yamamoto's candidacy as an independent candidate for a unified opposition, Yamamoto has refused to yield to the idea, setting his mind on running as his own party's candidate.
The Constitutional Democratic Party, Japanese Communist Party, and Social Democratic Party are positioned to endorse Kenji Utsunomiya, former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, who will run as an independent candidate. However, the Democratic Party For the People has decided that its members could cast their ballots for any candidate at will.
The Tokyo gubernatorial election will be officially announced Thursday, and polling will be held July 5.
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