Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa announced Monday he will run for re-election as the party's president.

In his announcement, Ozawa stressed the need to create a safety net system to protect people from fierce economic competition, in an attempt to differentiate himself from Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the front-runner in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, scheduled for Sept. 20.

The DPJ's new president will be chosen Sept. 25.