Kingless Abe Faction Exacerbates Internal Chaos Within LDP

The largest faction within Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is struggling to elect a new leader who would succeed the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Jiji reports. The 97-member Abe faction, formally known as the Seiwa Policy Research Group, has been operating without a permanent leader since the assassination of Shinzo Abe last July.

• The faction's acting chairman Ryu Shionoya was widely perceived as the frontrunner to take the helm, but according to the Jiji report his leadership bid was blocked by middle-ranking and junior members of the group.
• While several political heavyweights associated with the faction could potentially throw their hats into the ring, none of them seems to have sufficient support to win a leadership contest. Some of the names mentioned by the press include Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno, METI Minister Nishimura, and Policy Research Council Chairman Hagiuda.
• The lack of a clearly designated leader leaves the faction in a state of inertia, exacerbating the LDP's internal disarray amid a crisis which sees the party haemorrhage public support over the Unification Church scandal. Knock-on effects on the entire ruling party are accentuated by the sheer size of the faction, which has over a quarter of LDP lawmakers as its members.
• Prime Minister Kishida would benefit from improved coordination with various factions of his party, chiefly the Seiwa Policy Research Group, at a time when he is dealing with a major crisis of public confidence in his government and is looking to push key fiscal legislation through parliament.