Power Struggle Unfolding among Ex-Abe Faction Members

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)--A power struggle is brewing among former members of a now-defunct faction of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party that was once led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Those who were considered to be the five leading figures of the faction, which was at the center of the "slush funds" scandal at the party, have regained power under the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, inaugurated last October.

Among them are Koichi Hagiuda, who now serves as LDP executive acting secretary-general, Yasutoshi Nishimura, head of the party's Election Strategy Committee, and Hirokazu Matsuno, chief of the Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters.

Meanwhile, former Environment Minister Akihiro Nishimura, who has argued that former faction executives have failed to fulfill their accountability over the high-profile political fund scandal that led to the intraparty group's disbandment, and his allies are aiming to become a rallying point for LDP members critical of the former executives.

The rivalry surfaced also over gatherings in memory of Abe, who was fatally shot during a stump speech in the western Japan city of Nara on July 8, 2022.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]