Factions in the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)

The LDP's factions can loosely be grouped into two main currents. They developed in the years following the "conservative merger" (hoshu gōdō) of 1955 when Shigeru Yoshida's Liberal Party and Ichirō Hatoyama's Japan Democratic Party united to form the LDP. Factions of former Liberals are called "conservative mainstream" (保守本流, hoshu honryū) while the factions of former Democrats "conservative anti-mainstream" (保守傍流, hoshu bōryū). It is known that "conservative mainstream" belongs to a relatively (especially in matters related to nationalism) moderate factions compared to "conservative anti-mainstream".

Present-day factions and leaders (as of April 2022) in bold.

• "Yoshida school" (Yoshida gakkō) centered around ex-bureaucrats loyal to Yoshida
  • Kōchikai (Ikeda → Maeo → Ōhira → Suzuki → Miyazawa → Katō faction), split following the "Katō rebellion" (Katō no ran) against party president Yoshirō Mori in 2000
    • Kōchikai (Katō → Ozato → Tanigaki faction) of Katō loyalists, remerged into the other Kōchikai in 2008
    • Kōchikai (Horiuchi → Niwa-Koga → Koga → Kishida faction), voted against Katō's no-confidence motion in 2000, later reunited under Koga
    • Taiyūkai (Kōno faction) → Ikōkai (Asō faction) → Shikokai (Asō faction), formed by supporters of a second term for Yōhei Kōno in the LDP presidential election of 1995 from the Miyazawa faction
  • Mokuyō Kenkyūkai → Shūzankai → Mokuyō Club → Keiseikai → Heisei Kenkyūkai (Satō → Tanaka → Takeshita → Obuchi → Hashimoto → Tsushima → Nukaga → Takeshita → Motegi faction)
    • Shūzan Club (Hori faction), merged into the anti-mainstream's Fukuda faction
    • Kaikaku Forum 21 (Hata faction), split off the Takeshita faction in 1992 following the Sagawa Express scandal, voted with the opposition in a no-confidence motion against Kiichi Miyazawa in 1993 and subsequently left the LDP to form the Japan Renewal Party making the LDP lose its lower house majority ahead of the 1993 general election
  • Suiyōkai (Ogata → Ishii faction)
• Hatoyama supporters
  • Hakuseikai (Ōno faction), split into the Murakami → Mizuta faction and the Funada faction, both groups disappeared

• Hatoyama supporters
  • Tōkakai → Tōfū Ishin Renmei (Kishi faction) → Yōkakai → Seiwakai → Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai (Fukuda → Abe → Mitsuzuka → Mori → Machimura → Hosoda → Abe faction)
    • Aiseikai (Fujiyama faction), formed to support Fujiyama's (unsuccessful) runs in the LDP presidential elections of the 1960s
    • Kōyū Club (Kawashima → Shiina), split off from the Kishi faction in 1962, dissolved after Shiina's resignation
  • Shunjūkai (Kōno faction) → Shinsei Dōshikai → Seisaku Kagaku Kenkyūjo (Nakasone → Watanabe faction), without a clear leader following Watanabe's death in 1995, merged with the Kamei group after the formation of Taku Yamasaki's independent faction in 1998
    • Shunjūkai (Kōno → Mori → Sonoda faction), merged into the Fukuda faction after Sonoda had died in 1984
    • Kinmirai Seiji Kenkyūkai (Yamasaki → Ishihara → Moriyama faction)
    • Shisuikai (Murakami → Etō → Kamei → Ibuki → Nikai faction), formed by the remaining Ex-Watanabe faction members and a breakaway group from the Mitsuzuka faction led by Kamei
  • Kayōkai (Ishibashi faction) → Futsukakai (Ishida faction), merged into the Miki faction in 1971
• former Kaishintō (Progressive Party)
  • Seisaku Kondankai (Miki-Matsumura faction) → Banchō Seisaku Kenkyūjo (Miki faction) → Shin-seisaku Kenkyūkai (Kōmoto faction) → Banchō Seisaku Kenkyūjo (Kōmura → Ōshima → Santō faction) → Shikokai (Asō faction), merged with Asō's faction Ikōkai to form Shikōkai in 2017.

• Jiyū Kakushin Dōmei (Nakagawa → Ishihara faction), merged into the Fukuda faction
• Atarashii Nami (Nikai faction), faction of former members of the New Conservative Party, merged into the Ibuki faction in 2009

The largest faction of the LDP was led by former prime minister Shinzo Abe until his assassination in 2022, replacing ex-Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda on 11 November 2021 who became the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The faction's founder was Takeo Fukuda in 1962. It is a pro-classical economics, nationalist (it includes many Japanese Neoconservatives) and conservative faction. Shinzo Abe's deceased father Shintaro Abe was an ex-leader of this faction (1986–1991). Ex-Prime Ministers Jun'ichirō Koizumi and Yoshirō Mori also formerly led the faction. As of 2004 it has overtaken the Hashimoto faction in the more powerful Lower House, and after the 2007 Councilor's election, the Seiwa Political-analysis Council has become the largest faction in the party.

• Supported by the Japan Business Federation, established bureaucracy, Japan War-Bereaved Families Association.
• This faction promotes decreasing taxes for high income taxpayers and large companies, maintaining a strong alliance with the United States, visits to Yasukuni Shrine in order to garner support from nationalist voters without any special interest payments, reforming the constitution to support a standing military, free trade for car exports, and gradual privatization of Japan Post.
• 1948 GHQ changed their policy from anti-fascist to anti-communist, and released Nobusuke Kishi (Class A war criminal, a member of Hideki Tōjō's Militarist Cabinet, father-in-law of Shintarō Abe and grandfather of Shinzō Abe) from Sugamo Prison. Kishi later founded the Japan Democratic Party (no relation to the 21st century incarnation)
• The faction was in the minority, with a Heisei Seisaku Kenkyukai and Kochikai majority from 1960 to 1990 but because of a failure of the Heisei Seisaku Kenkyukai and Kochikai leadership it led the LDP from 2002 to 2008, mainly under Jun'ichirō Koizumi.
• Founded by Nobusuke Kishi. Succeeded by Takeo Fukuda, Jun'ichirō Koizumi, Shinzō Abe, Yasuo Fukuda.

This faction is the third largest faction, led by Tarō Asō, the former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and current LDP Vice-president. It was established in 2017 by merging the following two factions:

Formerly led by Yōhei Kōno, who was the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009. Once part of the former Katō faction, though this group split off during the mid-1990s. It is more critical to Koizumi and more reformist and pro-Chinese than the Machimura faction's classical economics conservative nationalists. It is now known as the Former Kono Faction because the resignation of the faction chief and the inability of the faction to decide on a new leader.

Formerly led by Masahiko Komura. 'Banchō Seisaku Kenkyūjo' and 'Ikōkai' are close. As Komura retired, leadership was handed to Tadamori Ōshima before he took the role of House of Representatives Speaker in 2015. In turn, his replacement, Akiko Santō became the first ever female faction head. However, with few faction members, Santo was unable to exercise a great deal of influence over intra-party affairs, so she decided to join forces by merging hers with Aso's faction in 2017.[6]

Notable members of the Shikōkai faction are Taro Kono, the 2021 LDP leadership candidate and son of Yōhei Kōno, and Akira Amari, former LDP secretary general (who currently holds a proportional block seat after losing in his own constituency in the 2021 election).[6]

The second largest faction is led by current LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, following the death of Wataru Takeshita who was chairman from 2018 until his death in September 2021. Takeshita previously replaced Fukushiro Nukaga who had served as chairman since September 2009.[7] Previous leaders also included ex-PM Ryutaro Hashimoto, and previously the faction was known as the Takeshita Faction(経世会,Keiseikai), of former prime minister Noboru Takeshita (the recently deceased faction head, Wataru Takeshita is his younger brother).

It is a Keynesian, right-liberal and pro-China faction. It has strong influence on bureaucrats. Ex-PM Hashimoto and the entire faction were hit with a scandal where the faction had apparently taken money from the Japan Dental Association. Hashimoto resigned as chairman of the faction in 2004 and retired from politics the following year. Possible replacements included Kosuke Hori, Fumio Kyuma, Takao Fujii, and Fukushiro Nukaga.

Since the leadership of Junichiro Koizumi, it was split with members who supported Koizumi and a minority of the faction who did not. It was also observed that leaders of this faction were unable to maintain factional unity, particularly during the LDP presidential election of 2018.[6] Because it was the largest in numbers, the accusation of influence peddling and pork-barrel politics is rife. It is a descendant of the Tanaka faction.

• Supported by local farmers, the construction industry, blue-collar workers, the defense industry, Japan Post workers, and discriminated village peoples.
• This faction led economic development from 1960 to 1988. They promote international cooperation with China and Korea, a Gasoline Tax, construction of Highways/Shinkansen (Bullet Train), and protection of small farmers, Japan Post workers, and discriminated peoples.
• Founded by diplomat Shigeru Yoshida. Succeeded by Eisaku Satō, Kakuei Tanaka, Takeshita Noboru, Shin Kanemaru, Obuchi Keizo, Tanisuke Watanuki, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Yuji Tsushima, Fukushiro Nukaga and Wataru Takeshita.

Since 2012, the faction has been led by Fumio Kishida, the current LDP leader and Prime Minister. Mitsuo Horiuchi was co-leader until he temporarily left the faction in October 2006. This group was under the leadership of Koichi Kato until a split in 2001, after Kato led a failed revolt against the prime minister Yoshirō Mori which backfired and damaged his grip over the faction. It is moderate on internal and foreign affairs but more conservative and critical to Mr. Koizumi but still moderately nationalist, and more successful than the section led by Kato. This faction historically has been the most prestigious faction, with many of its members drawn from the upper-ranks of the elite bureaucracy.

• Supported by the established Liberal party of the bureaucracy, white-collar workers, doctors, small merchants and small factory people.
• This faction led economic development from 1960 to 1988. They promote international cooperation with China and Korea, a Government bond/Consumption Tax for National Medical care and National Banks which financially support small firms, as well as Free trade Policy.
• Founded by bureaucrat-turned-politician Hayato Ikeda. Succeeded by Kiichi Miyazawa, Sadakazu Tanigaki, and Makoto Koga.

Currently led by Toshihiro Nikai who stepped down as LDP Secretary General in 2021. It is considered by many to be the most right-wing grouping among the major factions, though it is Keynesian and Right liberal in general and pro-International cooperation. This faction has effectively been weakened since Shizuka Kamei and other members left the party to establish the People's New Party in opposition to Koizumi's postal privatisation bills.

Formerly led by Nobuteru Ishihara until he lost his seat in the 2021 general election. Currently, Hiroshi Moriyama is the chairman. 'Kinmirai Seiji Kenkyūkai' and 'Shisuikai' are close.

Ishihara was unsuccessful in expanding the faction's membership. As he previously was a strong challenger against Shinzo Abe for the leadership of the LDP in 2012, the faction did not enjoy a great deal of influence in intra-party machinations.[6]

Led by Shigeru Ishiba, who was a member of Heisei Kenkyūkai until 2011.[8]

As of December 2021, the faction has since been reorganised into a looser grouping,[6] with only 12 members.[9]

Ishiba had long stood against factionalism in the LDP, but he formed his own faction to increase his support base. He started an informal group of 20 independents that met regularly, before Ishiba relented and finally formed his faction at the members’ behest. This small but steady group continued to rally behind Ishiba since its formation in 2015, but Ishiba's failure to win the party presidency in 2020 contributed to his decision to step down as faction head. Following a decrease in members after the 2021 Lower House election, the Ishiba faction downgraded itself to the less formalized "group."[6]