Former internal affairs minister Hiroya Masuda officially joined the Tokyo gubernatorial race Monday after receiving the backing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s Tokyo chapter, while a torrent of other candidates appeared ready to join him in throwing their hats into the ring.
The LDP¡¯s Tokyo branch endorsed Masuda after days of wrangling to unite on a single candidate. It had vacillated between Masuda and former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike, who had repeatedly asked for the chapter¡¯s backing in her quest to be its official candidate.
Koike, currently an LDP Lower House member, is now set to run in the July 31 Tokyo election as an independent, a move that will likely split the LDP vote.
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