This week, embattled Liberal Democratic Party faction head Toshihiro Nikai announced that he will not be running in the next Lower House election.
His statement to the press at the LDP headquarters on Monday came as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida contemplates punishment for other senior lawmakers who, like Nikai, are implicated in the faction money scandal that continues to plague the party.
In some ways, this is a significant announcement as it will expedite generational change in the LDP and start the chain of events that may see other dominoes fall. In others, it is politics as usual for the party as a deeper examination reveals that Nikai's announcement is more about preservation of legacy and dynasty than mending public trust.