TOKYO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was re-elected as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) chief without a vote as nobody filed candidacy for the presidential election set for Sept. 20, local media reported Tuesday.

The LDP received applications from candidates from 8 a.m. to 8: 30 a.m. local time on Tuesday. However, senior lawmakers Seiko Noda, who has expressed her intention to challenge Abe, gave up at last on filing candidacy after failing to muster the support of 20 party lawmakers required to run in the race.

Abe's current term as LDP president expires on Sept. 30. With his re-election, his term will last three more years to the end of September 2018.