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.