Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to Vote for New Leader on Monday; Largest Opposition Likely Heads to Runoff

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, September 23, 2024

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is scheduled to vote on Monday to choose its next leader at its extraordinary party convention held in Tokyo.

Research by The Yomiuri Shimbun on Diet members belonging to the opposition party over whom they support in the party election indicated that former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, 67, held the lead with support from 40 lawmakers, accounting for about 30%.

Former CDPJ President Yukio Edano, 60, was ranked second. The other candidates, current President Kenta Izumi, 50, and House of Representatives member Harumi Yoshida, 52, had not received notable levels of support from party lawmakers.

Candidates in the party leadership election are competing over a total of 740 points. Each CDPJ Diet lawmaker — including 98 in the lower house and 38 in the House of Councillors — has two ballot points. They hold a total of 272 ballot points, accounting for one-third of the overall number of points.

The Yomiuri Shimbun research was made mainly through a series of interviews that ended Saturday. The results showed that Noda had likely gained support from 40 party lawmakers, or 80 points. Edano had gained support from 24 members, or 48 points. Izumi and Yoshida had each gained support from 19 members, giving them 38 points. Among other CDPJ lawmakers, 34 did not clarify their intentions about whom they will vote for.

It is likely that, even if ballot points from local assembly members, rank-and-file party members and fraternity party members are added to the calculations, none of the candidates will be able to gain a simple majority of the total ballot points at 371.

Therefore, it is highly likely that a runoff by the first and second ballot point earners will be held.

In addition to the incumbent party Diet members, 98 people who are scheduled to be CDPJ-endorsed candidates in the coming lower and upper house elections have one ballot point each, in the first round of the vote.

A total of 185 ballot points are allocated to CDPJ local assembly members. Another 185 points are also allocated to other party members and supporting members. The number of ballots is converted into ballot points based on the D’Hondt method.

In the runoff, party Diet members have two ballot points each, while the scheduled election candidates and representatives of party organs in 47 prefectures have one ballot point each. Contenders in the runoff compete for the total of 417 ballot points.