| Election Name: | 2021 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential election |
| Flag Image: | Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (2020).svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Seats For Election: | 572 points for the first round 286 points needed to avoid a runoff |
| Vote Type: | Caucus |
| Previous Election: | 2020 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential election |
| Previous Year: | 2020 |
| Next Election: | 2024 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential election |
| Next Year: | 2024 |
| Election Date: | 30 November 2021 |
| 1Blank: | First Round |
| 2Blank: | Runoff |
| Candidate2: | Seiji Osaka |
| Color2: | CC0033 |
| Leaders Seat2: | Rep for Hokkaido-8th |
| 1Data2: | 148 (25.9%) |
| 2Data2: | 128 (38.4%) |
| Candidate4: | Junya Ogawa |
| Color4: | 007F5E |
| Leaders Seat4: | Rep for Kagawa-1st |
| 1Data4: | 133 (23.3%) |
| 2Data4: | Eliminated |
| Candidate1: | Kenta Izumi |
| Color1: | E69117 |
| Leaders Seat1: | Rep for Kyoto-3rd |
| 1Data1: | 189 (33.0%) |
| 2Data1: | 205 (61.6%) |
| Candidate5: | Chinami Nishimura |
| Color5: | 0B75D9 |
| Leaders Seat5: | Rep for Niigata-1st |
| 1Data5: | 102 (17.8%) |
| 2Data5: | Eliminated |
| Leader | |
| Before Election: | Yukio Edano |
| After Election: | Kenta Izumi |
The 2021 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential election took place on 30 November 2021 to elect the next president of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan after the inaugural leader of the party, Yukio Edano, announced his intention to resign as party leader citing the party's poor performance in the 2021 general election.[1]
Founded in October 2017 as a split from the Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan achieved the status of the opposition's largest force after the 2017 general election, when it became the second largest party in the Diet, with 55 seats in the House of Representatives. In September 2020, the party was re-established following a merger with most of the DPP and SDP caucuses, and some independent lawmakers. After the merger, the number of seats rose to 110.
In order to increase the weight of the opposition, the CDP decided to establish joint candidacies with three other progressive parties (JCP, SDP and Reiwa Shinsengumi) in most of the electoral districts for the 2021 general election.Although the cooperation strategy and a slight increase in votes for the party had led to an increase in the seats obtained compared to 2017 (from 55 to 96), these were still inferior to the number of seats held by the party before the vote (110). Furthermore, the majority of polls predicted better results for the CDP. Therefore, Yukio Edano decided to step down, so that a new leadership could reorganize the party in view of the elections for the Upper House in the summer of 2022.
| Candidate(s) | Date of birth | Current position | Party faction | Electoral district | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenta Izumi | 29 July 1974 | Member of the House of Representatives | Shin Seiken Kenkyūkai (Izumi) | Kyoto 3rd district | ||
| Seiji Osaka | 27 April 1959 | Member of the House of Representatives | Sanctuary (Kondō) | Hokkaido 8th district | ||
| Chinami Nishimura | 13 January 1967 | Member of the House of Representatives | Kuni no Katachi Kenkyūkai (Kan) | Niigata 1st district | ||
| Junya Ogawa | 18 April 1971 | Member of the House of Representatives | Sanctuary (Kondō) | Kagawa-1st | ||
An extraordinary party convention was held at a hotel in Tokyo on the afternoon of November 30. Following the announcement of the results of the "local vote" by local lawmakers, party members and supporters, which was closed on the 29th, parliamentarians and prospective official candidates voted.
From the first round of the vote, Izumi was 1st (189 points), Osaka was 2nd (148 points), Ogawa was 3rd (133 points), and Nishimura was 4th (102 points). None of the four candidates reached the majority of 572 votes in total, so Izumi and Osaka advanced to the final vote of the top two. As a result of a final vote by a member of parliament, prospective official candidate, and representatives from 47 prefectures, Izumi, who got 205 points, defeated Osaka, who got 128 points, and was elected as the new leader of the party.[5]