The 2020 Liberal Democratic Party of Japan leadership election was held on 14 September 2020 to elect the next president of the

Liberal Democratic Party of Japan The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a conservativeThe Liberal Democratic Party is widely described as conservative: * * * * * political party in Japan. The LDP has been in power almost continuously since its foundation in 1955—a per ...

, three days before the National Diet was scheduled to hold a session to elect the new Prime Minister. Initially scheduled to be held in September 2021, incumbent party president and the longest-serving

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...

, suddenly resigned on 28 August 2020, citing recent health concerns, prompting an election to select the President to serve the rest of Abe's term. Chief Cabinet Secretary

Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fro ...

easily won the election, securing endorsements from a majority of voting members of the party in the days preceding the vote. As the Liberal Democratic Party currently controls a majority in the National Diet as a member of the governing coalition, Suga successfully succeeded Abe as Japan's prime minister on 16 September 2020. His principal rival, Fumio Kishida, later succeeded him as prime minister after Suga's resignation in October 2021.

Background

Following several hospital visits which launched speculation into his health, incumbent Prime Minister

announced during a press conference on 28 August 2020 that he would resign before the end of his final term in office due to a resurgence of his chronic

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and ...

. During the press conference, Abe announced that as a result the LDP is preparing for a leadership election to choose his successor, and that he would not endorse any specific candidate.

Procedure

There are two ways by which the president could be elected in the leadership election: the first would be an open election in which voting power is given to both party members and members of the National Diet. Each would receive half of the voting power to elect the new president. The other method would allow the vote to be restricted to the Diet members (394) and representatives from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures (141), which would add up to 535 electors. According to an LDP lawmaker, Toshihiro Nikai, the party's secretary-general, decided on the second option. To appear on the ballot, candidates must receive at least 20 nominations from the 394 Diet members in the LDP caucus.

Timeline

2020

* 28 August – Shinzo Abe announces his resignation as Prime Minister and party president. He will remain on until a successor is chosen. * 29 August – Party officials announce the election will take place someday before, on, or after 15 September 2020. * 31 August – Party officials announce the election will be held on 14 September 2020. * 1 September – Former Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida and former Defense Minister

Shigeru Ishiba is a Japanese politician. Ishiba is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and is the leader of the ''Suigetsukai'' party faction, and a member of the ''Heisei Kenkyūkai'' faction, which was then led by Fukushiro Nukaga, until 201 ...

officially announce their candidacies. * 2 September – Chief Cabinet Secretary

officially announces his candidacy. * 8 September – Campaign officially began. The candidates held a joint press conference. * 9 September – The first of two public debate between the leadership candidates was held. * 12 September – The second public debate between the leadership candidates was held. * 14 September – The election was held; Yoshihide Suga wins on the first ballot with 377 votes.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Tarō Asō is a Japanese politician serving as the Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2021. Asō previously served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009 and as Deputy Prime Minister of Japan and Minister of Finance from 2 ...

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

, member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for Fukuoka 8th district; former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

(2008–2009) and former party president (2008–2009). Grandson of former

Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...

and brother of

Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (born ; 9 April 1955) is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. Background and education Nobuko, a Catholic, was born on 9 April 1955 in Tokyo. She is the third daughter and youngest child of , th ...

. *

Tomomi Inada is a Japanese lawyer and politician serving as a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, representing the 1st Fukui Prefecture since September 2005. She previously served as the 14th Japanese Minister of Defense from August 2016 to Jul ...

, member of the

for Fukui 1st district; former Minister of Defense (2016-2017), Minister of Administrative Reform (2012-2014), Minister of State for Regulatory Reform (2012-2014). * Shinjiro Koizumi,

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

, member of the

for

Kanagawa 11th district The is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It is located in Kanagawa Prefecture, and consists of the cities of Miura and Yokosuka. Former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi served as ...

. Son of former Prime Minister

Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi (; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a former Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is ...

. * Tarō Kōno, runner-up in the 2009 leadership election; Minister of Defense, member of the

for Kanagawa 15th district; former

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

(2017–2019) and former Chair of the National Public Safety Commission (2015–2016). Son of

Yōhei Kōno is a Japanese politician and a former President of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from November 2003 until August 2009, when the LDP lost its majority in the 2009 election. Kōno served as sp ...

, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. *

Toshimitsu Motegi is a Japanese politician and diplomat who currently serves as the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party. He has previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2021, and as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry fr ...

, member of the

for Tochigi 5th district; former

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The minister is also a statutory member of the National Security Council, and is nominated by the Prime Minister of Ja ...

(2012–2014). *

Yasutoshi Nishimura is a Japanese politician who has served as the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry since August 2022. Nishimura previously served as Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party ...

, third place candidate in the 2009 leadership election; Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, member of the

for Hyogo 9th district. *

Seiko Noda is a Japanese politician who served as Second Kishida Cabinet, Minister-in-charge of Measures against Declining Birthrate from October 2021 to August 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party, she previousl ...

, member of the

for Gifu 1st district; former

Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The minister is also a statutory member of the National Security Council, and is nominated by the Prime Ministe ...

(2017–2018). Wife of Yōsuke Tsuruho, member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

for

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture ...

. *

Hakubun Shimomura is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). Early life and education A native of Takasaki, Gunma, Shimomura was born on 23 May 1954. He lost his f ...

, current party election strategy chief, member of the

for Tokyo 11th district; former

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The minister is nominated by the Prime Minister of Japan and is appointed by the Emperor of Japan. ...

(2012–2015). File:Aso Taro.jpg, File:Tomomi Inada 20161027.jpg, File:Shinjirō Koizumi 20121226.jpg, File:Tarō Kōno 20110307.jpg, File:Robert Lighthizer meets with Toshimitsu Motegi at USTR (1) (cropped).jpg, File:Yasutoshi Nishimura (2019).jpg, File:Seiko Noda 200809.jpg, File:Hakubun Shimomura (cropped).jpg,

Endorsements

Opinion polling

Nationwide

Results

44 prefectural LDP branches held primaries, while the prefectural federations in Hokkaidō and Niigata conducted questionnaire-style surveys among their members and the LDP Akita didn't hold any form of membership vote. Of the 46 primaries or surveys, Kishida only carried his home prefecture of Hiroshima, winning all three delegates, and Yamanashi where he won two delegates over one for Suga. Ishiba won all three delegates in his home prefecture of Tottori, and carried Toyama, Mie, Shimane, Kōchi and Miyazaki by two delegates to one over Suga. Yamagata, Fukushima, Kagawa, Nagasaki and Kumamoto split their delegates evenly between the three candidates. In all other prefectures, Suga prevailed, winning either all three prefectural delegates, or two with the third going to Ishiba, depending on the vote margin of his victory and on whether the primary voting system was d'Hondt proportional, as it was in the majority of prefectures, or FPTP.Yomiuri Shimbun, September 17, 2020
早わかり！自民党総裁選２０２０
table with primary votes & delegate count by prefecture & candidate at the bottom, retrieved August 31, 2021. (Okinawa results are missing in the source as they were still "scheduled to be published"
the turnout is published
on the website of the LDP Okinawa, the result apparently isn't.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, 2020 2020 elections in Asia Indirect elections 2020 Liberal Democratic Party 2020 leadership election September 2020 events in Japan Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election