Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, launched their campaigns Tuesday for the Nov. 9 House of Representatives election.
Both candidates are running as independents and are seeking to recapture Diet seats they gave up last year amid accusations of involvement in money-related scandals.
"I have found the path that I should take," the 59-year-old Tanaka told a crowd of some 400 supporters at a shrine in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture.