http://mainichi.jp/english/english/news ... 3000c.html
Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa announced that a departure from nuclear energy will be a major part of his campaign promises for the Tokyo gubernatorial election a day before official campaigning gets under way on Jan. 23.
“I decided to run because I received a strong message from former Prime Minister (Junichiro) Koizumi, my ally in our efforts to abandon nuclear power, that I should perform my last public service,” Hosokawa, 76, said at a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku Ward.
Hosokawa led a short-lived eight-party coalition government that ended 38 years of Liberal Democratic Party rule in 1993. He resigned after eight months as prime minister and retired from politics in 1998, before returning to run in the Feb. 9 Tokyo gubernatorial poll.
Hosokawa said his entry into the race was also spurred by the nation’s political situation.
“I am alarmed by the direction Japan is heading and the manner it is proceeding on issues such as the Constitution, national security and relations with neighboring countries,” he said.
Sources in Hosokawa's camp said he will call for blocking restarts of Japan's idled nuclear reactors. Currently, Japan is effectively nuclear-free as none of the nation's 48 reactors are online.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/AJ201401220060
