In Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), there’s a growing movement, led by former members of the Abe and Motegi factions, to remove Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This effort stems from past conflicts with Ishiba. However, there’s still strong criticism over a scandal involving illegal funds linked to the old Abe faction. If the party remains in turmoil, it might face backlash from the public.
Some LDP members are pushing for Ishiba to resign, although he wants to continue as Prime Minister. He met with an influential member, Suzuki, to discuss unity. The Nara Prefecture branch of the party submitted a statement on the 24th, effectively calling for leadership changes. Some legislators are also collecting signatures to force a meeting to discuss removing Ishiba.
Key figures from the former Abe faction, once known as the “Five-man Group,” met to strategize the effort to remove Ishiba. Meanwhile, over ten legislators associated with former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi also met to discuss gathering signatures for Ishiba’s resignation.
In last year’s election, the old Abe faction, tainted by a fund scandal, saw some leaders lose party support, prompting them not to run. The faction still remembers Ishiba’s criticism of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after losing the 2007 election. Now, they aim to regain leadership by ousting Ishiba.
The signature campaign is mainly driven by the former Motegi faction. Former Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, now in the party’s minority, met with senior adviser Taro Aso, planning for Ishiba’s potential successor.
Despite efforts to remove Ishiba, many criticisms point to the unresolved fund scandal as the cause of their recent election loss. There are concerns that focusing on internal power struggles, rather than becoming a minority party in both houses of parliament, will make it hard to regain public support. Veteran member Yuji Funada criticized allowing such internal conflicts on his website.
After meeting Ishiba, Suzuki questioned whether those criticizing the Prime Minister truly cared about the party and Japan’s future, suggesting it’s more about a power struggle.
by MagazineKey4532