January 1999 Democratic Party of Japan leadership election
18 January 1999
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The January 1999 Democratic Party of Japan leadership election was held on 18 January 1999. Incumbent president Naoto Kan was re-elected, defeating Shigefumi Matsuzawa in a landslide.[1]
Background and contest
Kan had led the Democratic Party since its foundation in 1996, initially alongside Yukio Hatoyama, then alone from 1997. During 1998, he had overseen the merger with other opposition parties which established the party as the second-largest in the country, and wrested control of the House of Councillors from the Liberal Democratic government in the 1998 election. He came up for re-election at the peak of his popularity and was considered assured of victory. He was supported by Hatoyama and secretary-general Tsutomu Hata.[1][2]
While Kan had been expected to be unopposed, he was challenged by Shigefumi Matsuzawa, a junior lawmaker serving his second term in the Diet. He stated he ran to challenge the leadership and call for more involvement for junior legislators, and proved more popular than expected.[1]
Candidates
| Candidate | Offices held | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Naoto Kan (age 52) Tokyo |
Member of the House of Representatives (1980–) President of the Democratic Party of Japan (1996–) Minister of Health and Welfare (1996) | ||
| Shigefumi Matsuzawa (age 40) Kanagawa Prefecture |
Member of the House of Representatives (1993–) | ||
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naoto Kan | 180 | 77.9 | |
| Shigefumi Matsuzawa | 51 | 22.1 | |
| Total | 231 | 100.0 | |
| Invalid | 2 | ||
| Turnout | 233 | 97.5 | |
| Eligible | 239 | ||
| Source: DPJ Archive | |||
References
- ^ a b c "Kan retains DPJ helm; rival taps younger vote". The Japan Times. 18 January 1999. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017.
- ^ "Kan to seek another term as Democratic Party chief". The Japan Times. 25 December 1998.