Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito said Sunday he will not run in next July's House of Councilors election.
Ito, 61, said he met with Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma on Saturday and conveyed his intention to sit this one out.
Kyuma, a House of Representatives member elected from the Nagasaki No. 2 district, asked Ito in August to consider running for the Upper House.
Ito said he won't have enough time to campaign after finishing his third term as mayor, which expires May 1.
On whether he will seek re-election as mayor, Ito said he will decide after "listening carefully to voices of and advice from citizens and other people concerned."