Digital Minister Kono enters the presidential race for the governing party.

In announcing his intention to compete for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday, Digital Minister Taro Kono, making his third attempt to become prime minister of Japan, highlighted his history of advocating for reforms.

The outspoken Kono, 61, stated that the contest on September 27 should be an opportunity for its candidates to provide a distinct vision for Japan on the international scene. Kono came dangerously close to winning the top post in 2021 before losing to incumbent Fumio Kishida.

He retracted his earlier call for Japan to stop using nuclear energy, stating that building new power plants in place of the outdated ones is a possibility.

At a news conference, Kono declared, “I will implement reforms that are critical for the future of Japan,” adding the party needs

The leadership race will be held because Kishida is stepping down at the end of his current three-year term next month. The next LDP chief is almost certain to become premier as the LDP-Komeito coalition controls both houses of parliament.

Kono is known as a reform-minded ninth-term member of the House of Representatives and is often labeled a political maverick. Educated at Georgetown University in the United States, he has served as foreign and defense minister. He is fluent in English.

“It is going to be an election in which we need to clearly show the roles and responsibilities of Japan globally and put them into action,” he said, as he cited aggressive moves by China and Russia, concerns about a Taiwan contingency and heightened tensions in the Middle East.

The presidential election will be the first since most of the ruling party’s factions decided to disband after coming under intense scrutiny following a slush fund scandal. Kishida has expressed his belief that the LDP should undergo a period of renewal.

During the press conference, Kono said he will urge lawmakers who did not properly report political funds to return the relevant amounts, in response to the scandal engulfing the LDP, where some income from fundraising parties went unreported.

Kono is a member of a faction that remains active and is led by Vice President Taro Aso of the LDP, who has declined to disband it. If Kono decides to run for party president, one of the parliamentarians who supported his first leadership campaign has advised him to leave the group.

He sided with Shinjiro Koizumi and Shigeru Ishiba in the 2021 LDP election. Opinion surveys indicate that the public’s top picks to replace Kishida are Koizumi and Ishiba, who refrained from running for office, but the LDP’s incumbent lawmakers select the party’s leader.

Ishiba, 67, a former minister of defense, declared his candidacy on Saturday, referring to it as his “last” effort and the end of his 38-year political career. In the meanwhile, Koizumi, a 43-year-old former environment minister, is anticipated to