Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and her husband, Naoki, have agreed to join the Democratic Party of Japan.

Tanaka, formerly an independent in the Lower House, and her husband, an independent in the Upper House, made their decisions Aug. 15 in a meeting with DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama.

Tanaka will run on the DPJ ticket in the No. 5 district in Niigata Prefecture, the husband-and-wife team said.

"I need a place as (the Japanese political scene) develops into a two-party system," said Tanaka, daughter of late Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. "I cannot realize my promises for the electorate alone."