Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki on Thursday became the first Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker to officially declare his candidacy for the Sept. 20 LDP presidential election, pledging that if he becomes the next prime minister, he will not visit Yasukuni Shrine.
In his announcement to the media, Tanigaki said the government also needs to raise the consumption tax to at least 10 percent from the current 5 percent early in the next decade.
Earlier in the day, Tanigaki met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to tell him of his candidacy for the election and made the announcement at a meeting of his LDP faction.