Naoto Kan set a date for his resignation

The announcement was made ​​by his economy minister, setting the stage for Parliament to elect the sixth leader of Japan in five years.

The race to succeed Kan was opened on Monday when former foreign minister, Seiji Maehara , 49, decided to join the race, lowering the chances of Finance Minister,Yoshihiko Noda , can win. Japan's new leader will face a rise in the yen threatens exports, strengthen the efforts of reconstruction after the earthquake and tsunami of March, and resolve the nuclear crisis on the ground atomic Fukushima.

Kan, whose support among voters fell below 20%, pledged in June to leave office after realize certain tasks. With the expected approval this week of key bills, his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is directed to choose a successor on 29 August.

Maehara, a security expert has warned about the growing military power of China and that ultimately brought the defeat of deflation in the top of his list of policies, announced his candidacy on Tuesday, Japanese media reported.

Noda had hoped to win the support of Maehara , the most popular of potential candidates, in their attempt to replace Kan, who has been criticized for its response to triple disaster of March, despite public support for his vision of a future which Japan does not rely on nuclear energy.

Minister of Finance, 54, told reporters Tuesday he had not changed his mind about apply for the position but declined to comment further on the challenge Maehara, whose base of support for the DPJ overlaps with theirs.

"I concentrate on my duty as Minister of Finance and dealing with key bills and the rise of the yen," simply stated. Their silence left the door open to speculation.