Shigeru Ishiba, former secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Sunday that he will announce possibly this week his candidacy in the party's presidential election in September.
"I'm very close" to securing recommendations from 20 LDP lawmakers, he told reporters, expressing confidence that he will meet the key conditions for entering the race. This will be Ishiba's fifth attempt at the party's top post.
"Since some people have newly expressed their willingness to run, it's necessary to confirm (exactly who endorses me). I want to do that in the first half of this week," said Ishiba.