2005 Democratic Party of Japan leadership election

Initial speculated candidates included Ichirō Ozawa, Naoto Kan, and Yukio Hatoyama.^[2] Maehara announced his candidacy on 14 September. Yoshihiko Noda was approached by supporters to run, but stated he was supporting Maehara.^[3] Ozawa suggested he was open to running, but declined when nominations were taken on the 15th. At a party meeting on the 15th, some members favoured uniting around a single candidate, while others called for an open process with multiple contenders.^[4]

Kan was viewed as the frontrunner with a strong base of support: he was supported by Hatoyama, Takahiro Yokomichi's faction, and close Ozawa aide Tatsuo Hirano.^[5] Maehara ran as a reformer, supported by junior legislators, and pledged to appoint personnel on the basis of merit instead of seniority or factional balance. Commentators suggested that his pitch for renewal and reform won over undecided legislators.^[1][4] In 2015, journalist Akiko Azumi stated that Maehara's emotional final pitch, in which he spoke of his late father who died by suicide during his childhood, was the deciding factor.^[5]