The two largest intraparty factions of the Liberal Democratic Party broke a long-standing taboo Wednesday by holding fundraising parties on the same evening in Tokyo.
Members of the largest faction, led by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, have charged that the faction led by former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori organized the clash intentionally to damage the already-weakened Hashimoto faction by forcing LDP supporters to show loyalty to either of the two factions.
The Mori faction, to which Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi belonged before taking office, has recently increased its influence within the party.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.