 In the ensuing weeks, party members pushed for one of its lawmakers to step in.It was anticipated that either Secretary-General Seiji Mataichi or the party's most junior lawmaker Hajime Yoshikawa would run for the leadership.Incumbent SDP lawmakers and Yoshida's supporters in the prefectural government in his native Ōita also urged Yoshida to rethink his decision and run for re-election, but he declined.