TOKYO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Former Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said here Saturday he will continue his bid for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) despite his ill health.
Machimura, 68, who fell sick and was hospitalized in Tokyo on Tuesday, said at a press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo that he will stay in the contest as he wants to respond to the expectations of lawmakers and party members who support him.
But he said he will continue to get treatment in hospital and cancel his campaign schedule on Sunday, while considering at the advice of his doctor whether to show up at an event on Monday in Hokkaido, his constituency.
Machimura, still in a wheelchair, will challenge four other hopefuls including ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, LDP Secretary General Nobuteru Ishihara, and Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Economic and Fiscal Policy minister, in the closely watched leadership race slated for Sept. 26.
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