September 2006 Democratic Party of Japan leadership election

September 2006 Democratic Party of Japan leadership election
25 September 2006
 
Candidate Ichirō Ozawa
Result Unopposed
President before election

Ichirō Ozawa

 Elected President

Ichirō Ozawa

The September 2006 Democratic Party of Japan presidential election was held on 25 September 2006 in accordance with the end of the presidential term which had commenced in 2004. Incumbent president Ichirō Ozawa, who took office in April, was re-elected unopposed.[1][2]

Background

Ozawa was elected president in April, defeating Naoto Kan by a large margin. He sought to unify the party by dividing responsibility, appointing Kan and Yukio Hatoyama to key roles. On 23 April, shortly after taking his post, Ozawa oversaw victory for DPJ candidate Kazumi Ota in the highly anticipated Chiba 7th by-election, a major turnaround in the party's fortunes.[3] The three leaders made public appearances together throughout the year, including a meeting with Chinese premier Hu Jintao in July, promoting a harmonious image.[4][5]

Candidates

Candidate Offices held
Ichirō Ozawa
(age 64)
Iwate Prefecture		 Member of the House of Representatives (1969–)
President of the Democratic Party of Japan (2006–)

Contest

Ozawa was expected to be re-elected unopposed. He was endorsed by Kan and Hatoyama, as well as Yoshihiko Noda and former president Seiji Maehara, who represented junior and mid-ranking legislators who often rebelled against senior leadership. Popular former president Katsuya Okada also declined to stand. Some members advocated for at least a token contest in order to compete with headlines from the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership contest, which was taking place at the same time. Names such as Akira Nagatsuma and Keiichiro Asao were floated, but all chose not to run.[6] Ozawa officially announced his re-election bid on 28 August.[7]

Ozawa was the only candidate to stand when nominations were taken on 12 September.[8] He was confirmed without a vote at the party convention on 25 September. He declared his biggest goal was to win the 2007 upper house elections the following summer.[9]

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima, People's New Party leader Tamisuke Watanuki, and New Party Nippon leader Yasuo Tanaka attended the convention as guests, indicating Ozawa's intention to coordinate with other opposition parties for upcoming elections.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ozawa retains DPJ helm, is hospitalized". The Japan Times. 26 September 2006. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Ozawa tapped to be Abe's main rival in leadership race". Taipei Times. 13 September 2006.
  3. ^ Ito, Masami (25 April 2006). "DPJ win helps Ozawa, reflects anti-LDP mood". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Ozawa, Kan, Hatoyama arrive in China for Hu meet". The Japan Times. 4 July 2006.
  5. ^ "DPJ leaders go fishing to help Miyake". The Japan Times. 2 August 2006.
  6. ^ "Ozawa return done deal". The Japan Times. 10 August 2006.
  7. ^ "Ozawa seeks re-election as DPJ head". The Japan Times. 29 August 2006.
  8. ^ Ito, Masami (12 September 2006). "Ozawa seeks re-election as DPJ chief". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019.
  9. ^ Ito, Masami (13 September 2006). "Ozawa remains DPJ leader". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019.
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