Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is thinking of leaving his faction before the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election in September to garner broader support, sources close to Abe said Wednesday.
Departing from traditional factional politics will likely boost his public image and encourage supporters in other factions to vote for him, increasing the as-yet undeclared candidate's chances of taking the LDP helm, and thus the prime ministership.
Abe, who belongs to the largest faction, which is led by former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, is considered the front-runner in the race to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The election is Sept. 20.