The Liberal Democratic Party announced Tuesday night that Motoko Hirotsu, a certified public accountant, will run in the Saga No. 3 district in the upcoming House of Representatives election, taking on Kosuke Hori, a major opponent of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization drive.
With the announcement, the ruling LDP finished naming all 290 official candidates for the Sept. 11 election.
Meanwhile, LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe indicated earlier in the day that rebel party members who voted against the postal privatization bills may be able to rejoin the party after Sept. 11 if they voluntarily leave ahead of the election, LDP members said.
"If they are determined to run, they should do so by showing good judgment and voluntarily leaving the party," Takebe was quoted as saying in a meeting with officials from agriculture, forestry and fisheries organizations. "If they do so, there is a possibility they can rejoin the party in the future."
Of the 37 rebels who voted against the bills to privatize Japan Post in the House of Representatives, seven have left the party, mostly to form new parties, and four are opting not to run in the upcoming race.