2020 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2020 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election

← 2018 14 September 2020 2021 →
535 delegates in total 268 or more delegate votes needed to win
Candidate Yoshihide Suga Fumio Kishida Shigeru Ishiba LDP MPs 288 79 26 Prefectural votes 89 10 42 Total 377 89 68
Map of Japan by prefecture.
President before election Shinzo Abe Elected President Yoshihide Suga

The 2020 Liberal Democratic Party of Japan leadership election was held on 14 September 2020 to elect the next president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. This happened three days before the National Diet held a session to elect the new Prime Minister.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga easily won the election. As the Liberal Democratic Party currently controls a majority in the National Diet as a member of the governing coalition, Suga is also expected to succeed Abe as Japan's prime minister.

Background

It was supposed to be held in September 2021, however incumbent party president and the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, suddenly resigned on 28 August 2020, because of health reasons.

The winner of the race will fill in for the remainder of Abe's term as president. As the Liberal Democratic Party currently controls a majority in the National Diet, the winner of the race will also replace Abe as Japan's prime minister.

Candidates

Declared

• Shigeru Ishiba, runner-up in the 2012 and 2018 leadership elections; member of the House of Representatives for Tottori 1st district; former Minister for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy (2014–2016) and Defense Minister (2007–2008).
• Fumio Kishida, current chair of the LDP Policy Research Council, member of the House of Representatives for Hiroshima 1st district; former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2012–2017), former acting Defense Minister (2017).
• Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary, member of the House of Representatives for Kanagawa 2nd district; former Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications (2006–2007).

• 

  Former Defense Minister
  (2007–2008)
  Shigeru Ishiba
• 

  Former Foreign Affairs Minister
  (2012–2017)
  Fumio Kishida
• 

  Chief Cabinet Secretary
  (2012–present)
  Yoshihide Suga

Polling

Results

Results

Candidate		Diet members		Prefectural representatives		Total points
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%	Total votes	%
	Yoshihide Suga	288	73.1%	89	63.1%	377	70.5%
	Fumio Kishida	79	20.1%	10	7.1%	89	16.6%
	Shigeru Ishiba	26	6.6%	42	29.8%	68	12.7%
Total		394	100%	141	100%	535	100%

Images for kids

• 

  Deputy Prime Minister (2012–2021) Tarō Asō
• 

  Former Defense Minister (2016–2017) Tomomi Inada
• 

  Environment Minister (2019–2021) Shinjirō Koizumi
• 

  Defense Minister (2019–2020) Tarō Kōno
• 

  Foreign Affairs Minister (2019–present) Toshimitsu Motegi
• 

  Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy (2019–present) Yasutoshi Nishimura
• 

  Former Interior Minister (2017–2018) Seiko Noda
• 

  Former Education Minister (2012–2015) Hakubun Shimomura

See also

In Spanish: Elección de liderazgo del Partido Liberal Democrático de Japón de 2020 para niños