Last week, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earned a promotion of sorts when he was voted to become the next head of the “Seiwa Seisaku Kenykyukai,” one of the Liberal Democratic Party's seven formal factions.
In doing so, he became the boss of the LDP's largest intraparty group, opening a debate of whether this move will cement Abe as the next “kingmaker” in Japanese politics.
Abe’s formal appointment as a faction head is undoubtedly a notable development. Factions are essentially ready-made voting blocs that empower their leader in his or her dealings with other party bosses. There is strength in numbers, and in theory, the bigger the faction, the more influential the faction head becomes.