The Liberal Democratic Party has asked a doctor who operated on Emperor Akihito to run in the gubernatorial election in Saitama Prefecture in August, the ruling party's local chapter said Wednesday.

Atsushi Amano, a 59-year-old professor at Juntendo University, declined to comment. The LDP, headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is waiting for a reply from Amano, a senior official of the chapter said.

Known as one of the world's top cardiac surgeons, Amano led a team of doctors, who successfully performed coronary artery bypass surgery on the Emperor in February 2012.

The election is scheduled for Aug. 9. Kiyoshi Ueda, the current governor of Saitama, near Tokyo, is expected to announce next month whether he will seek re-election.