Opposition Opportunity? The CDPJ Leadership Election

The presidential election for the leading opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is set to take place on September 23. Although it is overshadowed by the Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest, which will decide Japan’s next prime minister on September 27, the winner of the CDPJ election will have the chance to take on an LDP administration damaged by a slush-fund scandal in the next general election.

Izumi Kenta, the current president, has been challenged by former Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio, who have both previously led the party. First-term lawmaker Yoshida Harumi was a late entrant into the contest, declaring her candidacy on September 7, the day that campaigning began.

Major Candidates (Listed in Alphabetical Order)

Edano Yukio (formally declared candidacy on August 21)

• Current position: Member, House of Representatives
• Date of birth (age): May 31, 1964 (60)
• Career before entering national politics: Lawyer
• Constituency (number of times elected): Saitama 5 (10)
• Important experience: CDPJ president; minister of economy, trade, and industry; chief cabinet secretary
• Other notes: As chief cabinet secretary at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, he gave press conferences at all hours, leading to the popular social media hashtag Edano nero (Edano, get some sleep).

Izumi Kenta (formally declared candidacy on September 6)

• Current position: CDPJ president
• Date of birth (age): July 29, 1974 (50)
• Career before entering national politics: Secretary to House of Councillors lawmaker Fukuyama Tetsurō
• Constituency (number of times elected): Kyoto 3 (8)
• Important experience: CDPJ Policy Research Council chair
• Other notes: Replaced Edano Yukio as CDPJ leader after the party’s poor showing in the October 2021 general election.

Noda Yoshihiko (formally declared candidacy on August 29)

• Current position: CDPJ chief executive advisor
• Date of birth (age): May 7, 1957 (67)
• Career before entering national politics: Graduated from the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management; Chiba Prefectural Assembly
• Constituency (number of times elected): Chiba 4 (9)
• Important experience: Prime minister; minister of finance
• Other notes: During his 2011–12 premiership, he introduced a bill to raise the consumption tax in two stages to 10%, which was ultimately carried out under the LDP administration of Abe Shinzō. In announcing his candidacy for the 2024 CDPJ leadership election, he emphasized the need for political experience and pledged reform.

Yoshida Harumi (formally declared candidacy on September 7)

• Current position: Member, House of Representatives
• Date of birth (age): January 1, 1972 (52)
• Career before entering national politics: KPMG Healthcare; Secretary to Minister of Justice Ogawa Toshio
• Constituency (number of times elected): Tokyo 8 (1)
• Important experience: None
• Other notes: Struggled to gather nominees, but won the late backing of Eda Kenji, who had also shown an interest in running.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential candidates take a commemorative photograph together in Tokyo on September 7, 2024. From left: Yoshida Harumi, Izumi Kenta, Edano Yukio, and Noda Yoshihiko. © Kyōdō.)