Maehara decides to run in DPJ's presidential election+

TOKYO, Aug. 23 Kyodo -
Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara decided Monday to run in the Democratic Party of Japan's upcoming presidential election in a bid to become the country's next prime minister, lawmakers close to him said.
''To save Japan from the crisis, I would like to take on the challenge,'' one of the lawmakers quoted the 49-year-old Maehara as saying at a meeting of senior DPJ lawmakers affiliated with him. ''I would like to ask for your support.''
Maehara has been the most popular of the DPJ lawmakers likely to run in the election among Japanese voters surveyed in recent media polls.
Maehara's decision to aim to become Japan's sixth prime minister since 2006 will bring about dramatic changes in the race, putting Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who was seen as the front-runner, in a difficult position.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama told reporters that Maehara will announce his position regarding the election at a meeting of his intraparty group Tuesday afternoon.
Fukuyama made the comment after the group's senior lawmakers met late Monday night to discuss the election.
The election to pick a successor to Naoto Kan, the current head of the ruling party and prime minister, is slated for Aug. 29.
Noda, a proponent of raising taxes to address Japan's tattered public finances, had hoped to win the election with support from lawmakers who belong to Maehara's intraparty group.
A DPJ lawmaker, Yoshihiro Kawakami, told reporters on Monday that Noda has made up his mind to run in the election regardless of Maehara's candidacy.
Many lawmakers close to Maehara were not initially in favor of him running in the election, partly because he stepped down as foreign minister just five months ago after being criticized for accepting political donations from a foreign national.
Those lawmakers said Maehara should wait for a chance to remain in office for a longer period, by running in the party's regular presidential election, held every two years, in September next year.
But that all changed after Maehara and his allies, including Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, judged that the prospect of Noda becoming the next prime minister is not as bright as they had thought, as many DPJ lawmakers who have been critical of the current administration are opposed to Noda's idea of raising taxes in the near future.
Maehara himself has spoken against immediate tax increases, even if they are aimed at generating funds to rebuild areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Maehara has said he acknowledges the importance of fiscal discipline but it is not the right time to raise taxes as the country's economy is in an even more fragile state after the March disaster.
The forthcoming presidential election will only be decided by the DPJ's 398 parliamentarians, not rank-and-file members or supporters of the party.
Yet despite Maehara's public popularity, his victory in the election is not assured. Other possible contenders include industry minister Banri Kaieda, farm minister Michihiko Kano and former transport minister Sumio Mabuchi.
Maehara is distant from former DPJ president Ichiro Ozawa, who is credited with the DPJ's rise to power in 2009 and heads the largest intraparty group of about 140 lawmakers.
Maehara was once DPJ president for about half a year from September 2005. Viewed as an expert on diplomatic and security issues with hawkish views, he has developed close ties with U.S. officials and has taken a strong stance toward China.