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The Yomiuri Shimbun From left, Harumi Yoshida, Kenta Izumi, Yukio Edano and Yoshihiko Noda, who announced their candidacies for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s leadership election, are seen before a joint press conference in Tokyo on Saturday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
17:09 JST, September 7, 2024
The official campaign period for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s leadership election kicked off Saturday, with four members announcing their candidacies.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, 67; former party leader Yukio Edano, 60; current leader Kenta Izumi, 50, and House of Representatives member Harumi Yoshida, 52, registered their candidacies for the Sept. 23 election to be held at the extraordinary party convention in Tokyo.
The election will be held upon the expiration of Izumi’s term – he assumed office in November 2021. The campaign period is 17 days, longer than that for the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential race.
Campaign staff for each candidate submitted the list of nominators, among other documents necessary for running in the race, to the party headquarters on Saturday morning.
How the party should be managed in preparation of the next lower house election and views on election cooperation with the other opposition parties will be the main points of contention in the race.
The four candidates held a press conference at the party headquarters in Tokyo on the day.
“This is a leadership election held on the eve of a change of government, so we as a party must share a determination and join forces to gain power,” Noda said at the conference.
“I will make this leadership race an opportunity to have discussions that will surpass those of the LDP and to develop the CDPJ into a new party for the people,” Edano said at the same conference.
Izumi stressed his achievements as party leader, saying, “For three years, I’ve taken practical steps to make the CDPJ a party capable of taking over the reins of government.”
Yoshida said, “I want to formulate politics in a realistic way that is not bound by conventional styles.”
Having difficulties securing enough nominators necessary to run for office, Yoshida continued to make arrangements until just before the candidate registration deadline.
Lower house member Kenji Eda, 68, had initially expressed his intention to run in the race, but he gave up his candidacy and decided to support Yoshida, having been unable to secure enough nominators.
The candidates will vie for a total of 740 points. A total of 136 Diet members — 98 lower house members and 38 House of Councillors members — have two points each, and 98 party members who are the official CDPJ candidates for the next lower house election and the upper house election next summer have a point each.
Local government assembly members will be allocated 185 points, and another 185 points will be given to party members and supporters.
The points allocated to party members and supporters are distributed to the candidates under the D’Hondt method in accordance with ballots that each of the candidates’ gains.
If no candidate receives a majority of the points in the first round of voting, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates.
During the campaign period, the candidates’ panel discussions are scheduled to be held at 11 locations nationwide, as well as on TV and internet programs.
