Two years after almost all Liberal Democratic Party factions were dissolved in the wake of a slush funds scandal, moves are quietly being made to revive them in some form.
A month after securing a two-thirds Lower House majority with 316 seats, the newly expanded LDP finds itself facing the thorny issue of how to govern itself effectively given the sheer number of lawmakers seeking to prove themselves and become more powerful. This is leading to members of disbanded factions once again meeting informally in what could be the first steps toward the revival of more formal intraparty groups.
In 2024, a money scandal centered on the factions of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai led to their disbandment, along with those of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and current Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
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