TOKYO: The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is considering holding a leadership election in mid- to late September, according to informed sources.

As the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to hold a presidential election around the same time, the CDP hopes to avoid the LDP race dominating public interest by calling attention to its policy debates through the leadership election campaigning, the sources said.

The CDP election will be held as current leader IZUMI Kenta’s term of office will expire at the end of September. According to the party’s election rules, the leadership poll will be held in September, and the election period will last 10-17 days, including both the day of the announcement and the day of the vote.

The CDP casts a wary eye at the LDP presidential race because of the bitter memories of 2021, according to the sources. Almost throughout September that year, when the LDP election was held, the media coverage concentrated on the ruling party’s poll that effectively picked the next prime minister. Some within the CDP believe this was one of the factors that led to a reduction in the number of seats won by the party in the 2021 election of the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of Japan’s parliament, held shortly after the LDP race.

The CDP thinks that the next Lower House election is also likely to be held immediately after the LDP presidential election. Under such circumstances, the most likely plan is to have the CDP leadership poll precede the LDP election by about one week, according to the sources.

By having the election periods of the two parties’ leadership races partially overlap, “We can avoid a situation where coverage of the LDP poll dominates the media,” a senior CDP official said.

Meanwhile, some within the CDP are advocating the idea of setting the party’s leadership election on the same schedule as that of the LDP’s poll. Former Prime Minister NODA Yoshihiko said, “If we are serious about a change of government, we would like to bring about a composition of choosing (between the heads of the two parties) who is more suitable (as the country’s leader).”

JIJI Press