Embattled Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito announced Thursday he will seek reelection after he automatically loses his seat on Monday following the prefectural assembly¡¯s historic no-confidence vote last week.

The decision puts an end to months of stalled prefectural governance due to the allegations against the incumbent governor. An election to choose the new governor will be held in 50 days, a poll through which the 46-year-old hopes to return to his post.

At a packed news conference Thursday afternoon, Saito said dissolving the assembly or resigning was not on the table for him, and that he hopes to seek a fresh mandate from the prefecture¡¯s residents in the upcoming election.

¡°It has been a tough week since the vote of no-confidence passed unanimously, which is likely unprecedented in any prefecture or municipality,¡± Saito said. ¡°I¡¯ve been reflecting on whether there were any mistakes in the way I¡¯ve managed the prefectural government. Still, I have this strong desire to continue pushing for reforms and improving the prefecture.¡±

The assembly¡¯s vote on Sept. 19 ¡ª which marked only the fifth instance in Japan¡¯s postwar history in which a no-confidence motion against a sitting governor cleared a prefectural assembly ¡ª forced him to either step down or dissolve the assembly within 10 days, or to automatically lose his position if he takes no action at all within the 10 days. None of the governors in the four previous cases had chosen to dissolve the assembly.

Saito, who ran as an independent, also acknowledged that there will likely be no support from any political parties toward his reelection campaign. Saito¡¯s largest political backer, Nippon Ishin no Kai, was among the five political groups in the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly to demand the governor¡¯s resignation earlier this month, effectively withdrawing the political support it had lent Saito during the election.

The controversies surrounding Saito began in March, when a tell-all document began to circulate among officials and media. It accused the governor of various acts of misconduct, including workplace bullying, violating political campaign laws and demanding and receiving gifts in an official capacity.

The document¡¯s author ¡ª a senior prefectural official ¡ª died in an apparent suicide in July after receiving a three-month suspension as punishment.

Saito had stood by his decision of punishing the senior prefectural official before a powerful investigative panel made up of prefectural assembly members, saying he deemed the document highly defamatory and that it did not amount to whistleblowing, which is protected by law.