A lawmaker is challenging Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki for the opposition party¡¯s presidency, although Tamaki remains the overwhelming favorite to win a third term.
Lower House member Mikihiko Hashimoto, 30, and Tamaki, 57, filed their candidacies on Friday for the leadership election. Campaigning starts on Aug. 22, followed by voting on Sept. 6.
The party hopes the campaign will raise its profile and help rebuild support.
Hashimoto, a former Air Self-Defense Force officer, was first elected to the Lower House in 2024 and is now serving his second term. He lost the February Lower House election in the Saitama No. 13 constituency, north of Tokyo, but retained his seat through the proportional representation system in the north Kanto region block.
The leadership race will be decided under a 159-point system. Each of the party¡¯s 53 members of parliament is assigned one point, while local assembly members are allocated 53 points and party members and supporters another 53, with both pools distributed proportionally under the D¡¯Hondt method.
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