Motegi Declares LDP Leadership Bid, Vows "Zero" Tax Hikes

Tokyo, Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)--Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Wednesday announced his candidacy for the Sept. 27 LDP presidential election, vowing to "promote policies with zero tax hikes."

He suggested that he would suspend 1 trillion yen each in planned tax hikes to boost defense spending and in additional public burdens to strengthen child-rearing support.

"If there are no results within three years, I will take responsibility," Motegi, 68, who is running in his first LDP leadership race, told a news conference in Tokyo.

Motegi is the fifth person to officially launch a bid for the upcoming LDP leadership election. With former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, slated to announce his candidacy at a press conference on Friday, it will be the first time for an LDP leadership race under its current election rules introduced in 1995 to feature more than five candidates.

More than 10 people have emerged as potential LDP leadership candidates, also including Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, 71, who told reporters that she is close to securing the 20 nominations needed to enter the race.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]