TOKYO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's newly-formed Kibou no To (Party of Hope) unveiled its first contingent of candidates to run in the Oct. 22 lower house election.
The Party of Hope unveiled 191 candidates who will run in single-seat electoral districts in the 465-seat lower house.
Koike had previously said she would be fielding at least 233 candidates in the general election in a bid to wrestle power away from the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
While lower house lawmaker Masaru Wakasa stated Tuesday on unveiling the list that the number of candidates would likely swell to more than 233, Koike put an end to any speculation she herself might run in the election.
"I'm 100 percent not running in the election," she told reporters.
Rumors had been swirling that she was planning to step down as Tokyo governor and make a return to national politics.
Koike is a seasoned politician having served as a lower house member between 1993 and 2016 before she resigned to run in the gubernatorial election, which she won.
She previously held the defense minister portfolio in the cabinet of Abe, but resigned in August 2007 after just 54 days in office.
