Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi tossed his hat into the ring for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency on Tuesday in a move expected to appeal to party members who prefer a more moderate candidate.

Hayashi is expected to be a counterbalance to the more right-leaning presidential hopefuls — former economic security ministers Sanae Takaichi and Takayuki Kobayashi.

In announcing his candidacy in Tokyo, Hayashi said he is running as a candidate who supports the sentiments of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has decided to step down.

“I have solid experience over the 30 years since my first election and want to utilize this experience and track record to work for the good of the country,” he told reporters.

In addition, Hayashi burnished his credentials with his previous stints as foreign minister and defense minister.

With Washington now under President Donald Trump’s administration, he said, the roles of diplomacy and defense that underpin the Japan-U.S. bilateral relationship are increasingly important.

But while Hayashi has a long resume, it’s not clear whether his connection to Ishiba’s government, which he said he supports to the very end, will help or hurt his chances of victory.

In last year’s presidential election to succeed former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, he finished fourth in a nine-candidate race.

Hayashi is close to Kishida and served as the No. 2 man in his political faction before it was disbanded last year. Although he may be able to count on votes from his former faction, and perhaps his former boss, it’s unclear whether he can expand his support elsewhere.

Hayashi, however, said he’s working on gaining more support.

“In last year’s presidential contest, I fought primarily with the support of the original Kishida faction members. Over this past year, I’ve deepened various connections within the party and have also received offers of support from party members other than former Kishida faction members,” he said.

During his career, Hayashi has served in a number of key Cabinet posts, including as agriculture minister and education minister, as well as defense minister and foreign minister. As chief cabinet secretary, he is the top spokesperson for the Ishiba administration and its policies.

A Yomiuri Shimbun poll conducted over the weekend on the best choice for party president among the five candidates who have officially declared their intention to run or are expected to do so soon showed 6% of respondents choosing Hayashi. That put him just behind former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (7%) but ahead of Kobayashi (3%).

However, Motegi, Hayashi, and Kobayashi finished far behind Takaichi (29%) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who was the choice for 25% of respondents.

The 64-year-old Hayashi entered national politics in 1995, winning an Upper House seat for Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Seen as a rival of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a fellow LDP member from Yamaguchi Prefecture who served in the more powerful Lower House, Hayashi was first elected to that chamber in 2021, the last election before electoral redistricting left the prefecture with one fewer seat in the 2024 Lower House poll.