Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga plans to officially announce his candidacy for president of the Liberal Democratic Party at a press conference expected to be held on Wednesday, sources said.
The election will choose the successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is also LDP president.
The LDP's Takeshita faction, which has yet to decide its stance, is considering supporting Suga and plans to make its decision on Wednesday. If the faction chooses to support Suga, that will mean he has the backing of five of the LDP's seven factions, making support for him likely to intensify.
The LDP comprises the Hosoda, Aso, Takeshita, Nikai and Ishihara factions, as well as the Kishida and Ishiba factions, both of which are led by prominent candidates in the election.
"I want to refrain from commenting on the presidential election, including my own situation, as this is a place to explain the views of the government," Suga said Tuesday morning at a regular press conference given in his capacity as chief cabinet secretary.
Various Diet members representing LDP factions think highly of Suga, making such comments as "he's the best candidate to continue Abe's policies," or "he has strong crisis management ability."
On Tuesday, Suga met Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, who is the chairman of the Aso faction, in Tokyo. They are believed to have exchanged views on the presidential election.
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida said he would run at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, after a general meeting of his faction at which he expressed his determination to vie for the presidency. Kishida said at the meeting: "I declare that I will officially run for election. To gain the cooperation of the people, we must prioritize trust in politics."
Former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba told a press conference in the Diet on Tuesday afternoon that he intends to run in the LDP presidential election.
"We want the LDP to win the understanding and sympathy of the people and party members," Ishiba said. "To create such an LDP, I will never forget the feelings I had when we were an opposition party, and I will do my best."
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