The emergence of Morihiro Hosokawa as a potential candidate could be a game-changer for the Tokyo gubernatorial race and deal a severe blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration.

That's the concern now growing inside Abe's Cabinet as well as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as the former prime minister, well-known for his anti-nuclear stance, is expected to soon declare his intention to run in the Feb. 9 election.

Hosokawa, who in 1993 helped break the LDP's four-decade monopoly on power and became the first non-LDP prime minister since 1955, would be a leading candidate in the Tokyo race if he decides to run.