The race for the next Liberal Democratic Party president heated up Friday as both Ryutaro Hashimoto, minister in charge of administrative reform, and former posts minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated that they are ready to run.
The party election will effectively determine the next prime minister, as the LDP-led coalition holds a majority in the Diet.
While other LDP factions continued to discuss whether they will field a candidate for the April 24 vote, many observers say that at this point Hashimoto and Koizumi are the main contenders.