Prelude Sanae Takaichi on 18 June 2024 announced that she will be publishing a book on economic security titled "Japan's Economic Security" (日本の経済安全保障), to be published on 8 July, the second anniversary of Shinzo Abe's assassination. There are views within the party that the book is an early
campaign manifesto for her presidential run. On 30 June,
the Asahi Shimbun reported that Sanae Takaichi had decided to run for the presidential election. She denied this in a post on
Twitter, and later declined to comment on 2 July. and
Taro Kono in June 2024.On 26 June,
Taro Kono, who made it to the second round in 2021, conveyed his desire to run for the presidency to
LDP Vice President and his
faction boss
Taro Aso, during dinner. Governor of
Gunma Ichita Yamamoto announced his intentions to endorse Kono in a press conference the following day. On 10 August, Kono again conveyed his desire to run to Taro Aso. He reportedly told Aso he would run with or without his support.
Shigeru Ishiba on 28 June informed his political allies of his intentions to run for the presidency and has begun making "concrete arrangements". He indicated on 11 July that he would make a decision by August. Later on 21 July Ishiba said he would decide around the
Obon holiday period (August 13–16). Two days later he said that were he to run, he would campaign on deleting the second paragraph of
Article 9 in the
Japanese Constitution renouncing Japan's right to wage war. Ishiba declared his candidacy on 14 August, hours after Kishida's resignation. On 2 July the
Yukan Fuji reported that
Shinjirō Koizumi may be preparing to run for LDP president, with a goal of making it to the second round runoff. While visiting
Fukushima Prefecture for a surfing competition, Koizumi said he was "carefully considering" a run for the party presidency. Diet Member
Naoki Furukawa suggested Kishida be replaced by Koizumi on 12 July. in May 2024.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi visited Fumio Kishida's home prefecture of
Hiroshima on 6 July. Motegi later said on 22 July that he would not be the first candidate to formally declare his intention to run, in order to avoid becoming the "
Reiwa era Nobuteru Ishihara" who ran in the
2012 election. On the same day, he stated he would make a decision by early September. Motegi will embark on a trip to Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines on 28 July in an effort to boost his profile. On 24 July
Seiko Noda met with policy chief Tokai Kisaburo, Diet Affairs Chair Hamada Yasukazu (both of whom endorsed her campaign in
2021) and others to discuss her potential candidacy.
Takayuki Kobayashi indicated on 12 August that the party should "balance out" punishments against Abe faction members for the kickback scandal, arguing that removal from leadership has made on the ground activities challenging. LDP Upper House Member
Shigeharu Aoyama indicated in a press conference that he would run for the Presidency. The same day Diet members
Tatsuo Fukuda,
Masanobu Ogura and
Keitaro Ohno stated in an opinion piece that the election was "a big opportunity for a change in generation and appointing women", seemingly calling for Kishida to step aside.
Kishida declines and early campaign activities On 14 August, Fumio Kishida announced that he would not seek a second term as President of the Liberal Democratic Party. This effectively made the race an "open field" for new candidates. Kishida was reportedly pressured by influential members of the party, such as
Taro Aso,
Masahito Moriyama and
Yoshimasa Hayashi to not seek a second term. The announcement reportedly unsettled Japanese markets, which were already disturbed by a surprise rate increase by the
Bank of Japan in late July. At a press conference at the
Prime Minister's Office on the same day, Kishida stated resigning was the "easiest way to clearly show that the LDP has changed". He also cited the slush funds scandal as a reason for stepping aside, believing it was the only way to take "responsibility" as party leader for losing trust from the public. He pledged to support whoever will be chosen by the party as a rank-and-file member, refusing to endorse a particular candidate, adding that he was withdrawing so that the party could have an "open contest to promote debate". Kishida's more than 1,000 days in power made him Japan's eighth longest-serving post-war prime minister. Kishida's decision to not seek a second term made the leadership election "especially chaotic". Immediately after Kishida's announcement, several potential candidates were mentioned, among them being
Taro Kono,
Shigeru Ishiba,
Toshimitsu Motegi,
Sanae Takaichi and
Shinjiro Koizumi.
Seiko Noda,
Katsunobu Kato and
Yoko Kamikawa were also considered potential contenders. expressed interest in running for the LDP presidency and led in several polls The night after the press conference,
Toshimitsu Motegi met with Taro Aso, who said it would be difficult to support him. Early after Kishida's announcement, it was reported that it was unlikely he would back Motegi. The day after his announcement on 15 August, Kishida informed his cabinet ministers that they may start campaigning for LDP President as long as it doesn't affect their duties as ministers. That same day, Shinjiro Koizumi and Takayuki Kobayashi visited the
Yasukuni Shrine on the
79th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister
Ken Saito also said he was interested in running, after previously backing Kishida. Potential candidate
Yukio Obuchi stated that she would support Saito over her faction boss Motegi. Yoshimasa Hayashi reportedly told fellow lawmakers on 16 August that he was keen on running. On 17 August, Yōko Kamikawa announced her candidacy in a tweet. She later stated that she was running to make Japan "an attractive country for all". That same day, several candidates were asked on their position on
same-sex marriage. Kono stated he supported it, Ishiba, Saito, Kato and Kamikawa took a neutral stance, while Kobayashi and Takaichi stated they opposed it. Koizumi, Hayashi and Motegi did not give a response. By 17 August, it was reported that Hayashi and Kono had secured enough endorsements to declare their own candidacies. Upper House Diet member
Hiroshi Yamada told reporters on 21 August that Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi had secured 20 endorsements, and she believed she would formally announce her candidacy next week. She had reportedly been struggling to get the adequate endorsements.
Early declarations became the first to formally announce their leadership candidacy The day after Kishida's announcement, Kobayashi appeared to have already amassed 20 endorsements, and was preparing to announce his candidacy soon. He visited sites related to
North Korea's 1977 abduction of
Megumi Yokota on 17 August. Former Minister of State for Economic Security
Takayuki Kobayashi became the first to formally announce his candidacy during a press conference on August 19, emphasizing the need to "reform" the party. On 23 August Kobayashi stated "We should proceed carefully and cautiously with optional separate surnames for married couples". That same day,
House of Councillors member
Shigeharu Aoyama declared his candidacy.
Yomiuri reported that Koizumi planned to formally announce his candidacy on August 30. The following day it was reported that
Yoshimasa Hayashi was struggling to announce his own candidacy and amass his own endorsements. He originally planned to announce on August 27, but had to postpone in order to prioritize the government response to
an imminent typhoon, in his capacity as
Chief Cabinet Secretary. On 25 August, Kamikawa told reporters that she had secured more than 20 endorsements. Shigeru Ishiba was in
Taipei when the news of Kishida's not seeking another term broke. He stated that if he could receive 20 endorsements, he would run. He also said he'd be open to appointing Abe faction members to key posts if they're reelected. Ishiba announced his candidacy on 24 August in his home constituency of
Tottori. He described his campaign as the "culmination of my 38 year political career". His fifth LDP presidential campaign, Ishiba said it would be his "last". At the event, he questioned whether the party should endorse candidates who received kickbacks at the next general election. A press conference was expected the following week. Digital Minister
Taro Kono announced his candidacy in a press conference held on 26 August in Tokyo. He became the first sitting Cabinet minister to announce. In his press conference, he stated he wanted to "move the country forward" as leader. Kono also acknowledged that his "record on reform" would be put to the test during the election. On economic policy, he said he would return to "
fiscal austerity." Kono also said he would ask lawmakers receiving kickbacks to return the money. The day after Kono's press conference, Taro Aso told faction members that he would personally back Kono, but would allow members to support other candidates. Members of the dissolved Abe faction were reportedly frustrated with Ishiba's and Kono's questioning of support to members who received financial kickbacks. Kono announced on 31 August that he would leave the
Aso faction if he became Prime Minister. Kobayashi, Kono and Ishiba were dubbed "The Early Birds" by the
Council on Foreign Relations for being the first to announce.
Field widens as campaign intensifies announced his campaign On 27 August, it was reported that Takaichi had also been forced to postpone her campaign announcement to the following week due to a typhoon. The next day
Sankei reported she would officially declare on 9 September. Hayashi was reportedly planning to formally declare his candidacy on 3 September. Meanwhile, Koizumi confirmed in a tweet that he would formally announce his campaign in a press conference on 6 September. On 30 August, former Birthrate Minister and former leadership candidate
Seiko Noda said she would formally announce her candidacy once she gathers enough support.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced his campaign in a press conference on 3 September. Hayashi, who had experience as a cabinet minister in various capacities, advocated for "people-friendly politics" in his speech. He pledged to implement wage hikes, election reform, and regional revitalization. Kobayashi and Ishiba clashed on taxes and reform. On 3 September Kobayashi stated he opposed any income tax increases, while Ishiba said he planned to increase taxation. The two also disagreed on the creation of a Ministry for Disaster Prevention; Ishiba supported it while Kobayashi argued it would create more unnecessary bureaucracy. The same day, Kobayashi met with Taro Aso. Former Foreign Minister and LDP Secretary-General
Toshimitsu Motegi entered the race on 4 September, promising not to raise taxes. Noda was reportedly struggling to pick up 20 endorsements of her own. announced her second campaign for the LDP leadership On 6 September, former Environment Minister
Shinjirō Koizumi, who had been considered a "rising star" of the LDP, officially declared his candidacy in the leadership election at a press conference. He pledged to introduce legislation that would legalize separate surnames for married couples, promising it would "be done within a year". Koizumi promised to dissolve the
lower of house and call a general election "as soon as possible" if elected President and later Prime Minister. He proposed holding a national referendum to determine whether or not
Article 9 of the
Constitution should be amended. His press conference also focused on regulatory and political reform; Koizumi said he would seek an LDP without factional dynamics. Koizumi gave his first street speech the following day in Tokyo's
Ginza. Kono said on 6 September that a Constitutional amendment concerning Article 9 should include "collective self-defense rights" beyond clearly stating the rights of the
Japan Self-Defense Forces. The previous day his campaign released a comprehensive policy vision, which included labor market reform, use of renewable energy, the creation of a digital safety net and lowering the
age of candidacy to 18 years old. On 9 September, Economic Security Minister
Sanae Takaichi announced her second campaign for the LDP leadership, becoming the first female candidate to officially declare their candidacy. Other candidates, such as
Taro Kono and
Yōko Kamikawa also got limited attention. Koizumi was damaged in a series of gaffes, such as his father stating he was not ready to be Prime Minister. He also made controversial statements on the issue of North Korean abductees, stating he'd meet with "Kim", referring to
Kim Jong Un. Takaichi began to be looked upon more favorably by rank-and-file members. In terms of base, Koizumi's was firmly rooted in Diet members, mainly due to
Yoshihide Suga lending Koizumi support. He had secured roughly 50 Diet members, compared to the other two frontrunners, Ishiba and Takaichi, with just around 30. While Hayashi and Kobayashi had secured numbers in the 40s, they had since fallen behind the fray in public opinion polling. Motegi secured just over 30. Ishiba practiced a strategy of consolidating national support, as he had been consistently ranked one of the most popular politicians in the country, but had burned bridges with much of the party establishment during the Abe cabinets. Takaichi mixed both of these strategies and consolidated lawmakers involved in the
slush fund scandal which rocked the LDP earlier in the year, causing the
Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai to dissolve. However, she was still highly unpopular with most establishment figures. She gained serious momentum entering the campaign period, and began to lead in party member polls.
Election day and Ishiba's victory The first round of the election was held on 27 September in which Takaichi received the most votes. Ishiba advanced to the run-off, coming in second place after receiving 154 votes against Takaichi's 181. In the leadership election on 27 September 2024, Ishiba narrowly defeated Takaichi in a second-round runoff, winning a total of 215 votes (52.57%) from 189 parliamentary members and 26 prefectural chapters, making him the new LDP leader and prime minister-designate. Ishiba's victory was described by commentators as unexpected and an upset, owing to his long history of failed leadership bids and his relative unpopularity with many LDP members of the Diet. After his election, the Japanese
stock market experienced a sudden drop in response to Ishiba's economic policies, which was named "Ishiba Shock". == Schedule ==