Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) leader Tamisuke Watanuki has decided to run in the Sept. 11 general election both in a single-seat district and in the proportional representation section of the ballot, party sources said Sunday.
The 78-year-old former speaker of the House of Representatives from the Toyama No. 3 district will be placed at the bottom of his party's proportional representation candidate list in the Hokushinetsu block.
He had initially said he would not place his name on both parts of the ballot as that would be tantamount to running in the election "with life-saving equipment." However, he changed his position after some within the party urged him to use his reputation as a veteran lawmaker to boost its support base.
Watanuki founded the new party on Aug. 17 together with other heavyweights from the Liberal Democratic Party.