"I would like to propose my candidature for the election of the party chair. I would like to do my best for the country, for the people," Kishida said at a meeting of his faction, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.
The election will help determine a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced his resignation on Friday, citing health issues.
On Sunday, Japanese media reported that the country’s parliament was going to hold an emergency meeting in mid-September to vote on the successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
