Former Foreign Minister of Japan Seiji Maehara said Tuesday he will run in the ruling democratic party's presidential election, which is likely to be held later this month.

Forty-nine-year-old Maehara emerged as a leading candidate in the coming leadership election to select a successor to Naoto Kan, who is the current head of the ruling party and prime minister of the nation.

Kan has suggested that he would quit after securing parliamentary passage of the bill to allow the government to issue deficit-covering bonds in fiscal 2011 and the bill to promote the use of renewable energy. The two bills are expected to be passed by Friday.

Kan told the ministers in his Cabinet on Tuesday that they are likely to resign on Aug. 30, when a new prime minister is expected to come.

The latest Kyodo poll showed that former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara was the most popular politician among the potential candidates to succeed Kan, receiving 28 percent of votes by respondents.

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