LDP Considers Leadership Election Aligned with Prime Minister Kishida's Term Expiration

Japanese Media Report... "Consensus on Holding Election on September 20"
"Overwhelmingly Cold Response to Kishida's Candidacy"

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is considering holding an election on September 20 to choose a new party president, coinciding with the expiration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's term as party president.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida [Photo by AP]

On the 6th, local media including the Mainichi Shimbun reported that, considering the schedule of the extraordinary Diet session, there is a growing inclination to hold the party president election early. Since the LDP party president becomes the prime minister as the leader of the majority party, a cabinet formation or reshuffle must take place after the party president election. The newspaper also pointed out that another reason the LDP aims to hold the party president election around September 20 is the United Nations General Assembly starting on the 24th of the same month.

Mainichi stated, "Normally, the incumbent prime minister delivers a speech at the General Assembly, but if Prime Minister Kishida runs for re-election as party president, the election schedule could overlap," adding, "It seems that those around the prime minister are reviewing the election schedule centered on September 20, before attending the UN General Assembly." The LDP party president election schedule must be decided at least one month before the current president's term expires, so the outline is expected to become clear by the end of next month.

The LDP election rules specify that a vote by Diet members must be held within 10 days before the expiration of the party president's term. Prime Minister Kishida's term as party president ends on September 30. The LDP elects its party president through votes by Diet members, party members (Japanese nationals who pay party dues), and party supporters (members of LDP-affiliated political organizations). Party members and supporters vote by mail in advance, and the vote count results are announced together on the day of the Diet members' vote.

Prominent figures within the LDP are increasing their activities ahead of the next party president election by announcing their candidacies to their circles or participating in lectures and social gatherings. Prime Minister Kishida is promoting policies through daytime local inspections and strengthening ties with economic figures over dinner meetings at night. The day before, Kishida visited a nursery in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo during the day and attended dinners with corporate officials from Sony Group, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Daiwa Securities, and Sumitomo Corporation in the evening.

Meanwhile, although Prime Minister Kishida is actively preparing with the intention of running in the next party president election, the Asahi Shimbun reported that overwhelmingly many voices within the party remain cold toward him.