A presidential election was held on 26 September 2012 to elect the next president of the Liberal Democratic Party for a new 3-year term.
| Election Name: | 2012 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election |
| Flag Image: | Liberal Democratic Party of Japan logo.svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2009 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election |
| Previous Year: | 2009 |
| Next Election: | 2015 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election |
| Next Year: | 2015 |
| Election Date: | 26 September 2012 |
| 1Blank: | LDP MPs |
| 2Blank: | Party members |
| 3Blank: | First Round Total |
| 4Blank: | Second Round |
| Candidate1: | Shinzo Abe |
| Color1: | 438C15 |
| Leaders Seat1: | Yamaguchi-4th |
| 1Data1: | 54 |
| 2Data1: | 87 |
| 3Data1: | 141 |
| 4Data1: | 108 |
| Candidate2: | Shigeru Ishiba |
| Color2: | 0B75D9 |
| Leaders Seat2: | Tottori-1st |
| 1Data2: | 34 |
| 2Data2: | 165 |
| 3Data2: | 199 |
| 4Data2: | 89 |
| Candidate3: | Nobuteru Ishihara |
| Color3: | F2BA42 |
| Leaders Seat3: | Tokyo-8th |
| 1Data3: | 58 |
| 2Data3: | 38 |
| 3Data3: | 96 |
| 4Data3: | Eliminated |
| Candidate4: | Nobutaka Machimura |
| Color4: | 009999 |
| Leaders Seat4: | Hokkaido-5th |
| 1Data4: | 27 |
| 2Data4: | 7 |
| 3Data4: | 34 |
| 4Data4: | Eliminated |
| Candidate5: | Yoshimasa Hayashi |
| Color5: | CC0033 |
| Leaders Seat5: | Yamaguchi-at-large |
| 1Data5: | 24 |
| 2Data5: | 3 |
| 3Data5: | 27 |
| 4Data5: | Eliminated |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Sadakazu Tanigaki |
| After Election: | Shinzo Abe |
The leadership election was held on September 26, 2012, when Sadakazu Tanigaki's term of office expired.Three years after last general election, support for the ruling Democratic Party had been weak, and this election had attracted a lot of attention as it was expected to change power in the upcoming general election.
At first, it seemed to be a battle centered on the incumbent Tanigaki who showed strong desire for re-election, but as mentioned earlier, it became a presidential election to elect a leading candidate for "next prime minister," so many lawmakers showed their willingness. It was described as a different aspect from the previous factional elections, and "the decline in the power of factions was highlighted".[1] [2]
| Candidate(s) | Date of birth | Current position | Party faction | Electoral district | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinzo Abe | 21 September 1954 | Member of the House of Representatives | Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai (Machimura) | Yamaguchi 4th district | ||
| Shigeru Ishiba | 4 February 1957 | Member of the House of Representatives | Tottori 1st district | |||
| Nobutaka Machimura | 17 October 1944 | Member of the House of Representatives | Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai (Machimura) | Hokkaido 5th district | ||
| Nobuteru Ishihara | 17 April 1957 | Member of the House of Representatives Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party | Kinmirai Seiji Kenkyūkai (Yamasaki) | Tokyo 8th district | ||
| Yoshimasa Hayashi | 19 January 1961 | Member of the House of Councillors | Kōchikai (Koga) | Yamaguchi at-large district | ||
Ishiba overtook the other candidates to take first place, but failed to win a majority of the votes and ended up in a runoff vote with Abe, the runner-up. As a result of the runoff vote, Abe reversed Ishiba and was elected.[3]