Former Lower House Vice Speaker Kansei Nakano will not run in the next general election and intends to retire from politics due to his advanced age, sources close to him revealed Sunday.
Nakano, 71, a ruling Democratic Party of Japan member representing the Osaka No. 8 constituency, will soon make a formal announcement to the press, the sources said.
Under the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Nakano was appointed chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and also served as state minister in charge of the North Korea abductee issue. He earlier served as secretary general of the DPJ.
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1976, Nakano, was initially was a member of the now-defunct Democratic Socialist Party. He is currently serving his 11th term.