Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Friday declared his bid for re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while two other contenders -- Koichi Kato and Taku Yamasaki -- also announced their candidacies.
The LDP will hold its presidential election Sept. 21, about a week before Obuchi's tenure as LDP chief ends Sept. 30. Obuchi is currently serving out the remainder of the two-year term of his predecessor, Ryutaro Hashimoto, who quit in July 1998.
It is widely believed that Obuchi, who heads the LDP's largest faction, will win re-election easily because of support he has secured from other major faction leaders.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.