The largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party could not heal a critical rift Tuesday, with the group failing to field an official candidate for the party's Sept. 20 leadership poll.
Though faction elders approved former transport minister Takao Fujii's plan to run, he is not expected to receive backing from all of the group's 100 members.
The faction will effectively allow its members to vote for whomever they like in the party's presidential election, according to faction sources.