A color developing composition which develops colors in a high density and does not significantly discolor when aged, a lithographic printing plate precursor which has excellent plate-inspecting properties by means of color development and is capable of maintaining strong color development even when aged after color development, a plate making method for a lithographic printing plate in which the lithographic printing plate precursor is used, and a new compound that can be preferably used as a color developer. The color developing composition of the present invention includes a compound represented by Formula 1. The compound in the present invention is represented by Formula 1. In Formula 1, R1 represents a group in which an R1—O bond is cleaved by heat or exposure to infrared rays.