Tokyo, Sept. 8 -- Just a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba decided to step down as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), senior party leaders have thrown their hats into the ring in the race to become his successor.

Kyodo News reported on Monday that former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi have both declared their intention to run for the position.

Expressing his commitment to serve by drawing on his extensive experience in both government and party roles, Motegi, 69, told reporters he would soon hold a press conference to lay out his plans for the leadership contest formally, Kyodo News reported.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, also a former f...