A Sankei Shimbun editorial writer said Wednesday he will run in the Nagano gubernatorial election against former Gov. Yasuo Tanaka.
"I support Mr. Tanaka's 'no more dams' pledge, but he has not addressed the issue fully with the prefectural assembly members and local leaders," Nobuaki Hanaoka said. "It is not real democracy."
Hanaoka will hold a news conference Thursday to formally announce his candidacy for the Sept. 1 election. The 56-year-old writer is from the city of Nagano.
He submitted his resignation Tuesday to the newspaper publisher.
Another possible candidate, lawyer Keiko Hasegawa, said Wednesday: "I now feel positive about running for the election. I will make up my mind shortly." Hasegawa, 50, has been asked to run by a civic group.
Senior officials of Kenseikai, the largest faction in the assembly, which had criticized the reform-minded Tanaka's political style, said the faction will back Hasegawa if she decides to run.
Tanaka, who still retains high popularity, has said he plans to seek re-election.
The governor opted to automatically lose his job at midnight July 15 after the prefectural assembly passed a no-confidence motion against him July 5 in reaction to his policy against further dam construction.
Conflict between Tanaka and assembly members intensified after he announced a plan in February 2001 to suspend public works projects to build dams.
Hasegawa was a member of a prefectural committee that gave the green light to public works projects in which dam construction works have already begun. She was critical of Tanaka's promise not to build any more dams.