The death of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, coming in the wake of the retirement of his mentor, former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, marks the end of the "Takeshita politics" that wielded considerable clout within the Liberal Democratic Party.
The Obuchi faction, which succeeded the Takeshita faction, has had the largest following in the LDP. However, the factional lineup will likely change depending on the outcome of a Lower House election that will be held June 25. The biggest question for the LDP is whether it will be able to regain enough public confidence to win a majority.
The late Prime Minister Obuchi, who succeeded Ryutaro Hashimoto after he resigned by taking responsibility for the LDP defeat in the Upper House election held in the summer of 1998, settled a succession of major issues as if to make a clean break with "postwar politics." After getting a bank bailout package through the Diet by swallowing opposition demands, he formed a three-way ruling coalition with the Liberal Party and New Komeito.