Photo/Illutration A scene from the documentary movie “Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister” shows Junya Ogawa speaking with a voter in the 2017 Lower House election campaign. (Provided by Netzgen Inc.)

A last-minute fourth contender emerged in the race to choose a new leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

Junya Ogawa, 50, on Nov. 18 announced that he had obtained the required 20 signatures of fellow CDP lawmakers to allow him to enter the campaign that officially begins Nov. 19.

The vote will take place on Nov. 30.

Some of those lawmakers were initially hoping that Hiroshi Ogushi, a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, would run, but Ogushi decided not to campaign and instead has thrown his support behind Ogawa.

During the campaign for the Oct. 31 Lower House election, Ogawa pledged to run in the next CDP presidential election. He was among the first to express an interest after Yukio Edano said he would step down as party leader to take responsibility for the CDP’s poor showing in the Lower House election.

Ogawa gained popularity after being the subject of a documentary titled, “Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister.” The film covers his efforts to win a Lower House seat from 2003 while having no name recognition, money or fathers and grandfathers who were lawmakers.

Kenta Izumi, Seiji Osaka and Chinami Nishimura earlier announced their intention to run for CDP president.

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