Eyes on Aso, Kishida Ahead of LDP Leadership Race, as Candidates Court the Possible Kingmakers

Eyes on Aso, Kishida Ahead of LDP Leadership Race, as Candidates Court the Possible Kingmakers

Two senior lawmakers are drawing attention ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race — Taro Aso, the party’s supreme advisor, and former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Aso commands the party’s only remaining faction, the Aso faction, which has 43 members, though the Kishida faction, while officially defunct, has retained some degree of cohesion. If the vote goes to a runoff, the lawmakers could sway the outcome.