The Liberal Democratic Party is an assemblage of factions. Since it has held the reins of government almost continuously, the LDP has derived much of its vitality from factional power struggles for the party presidency and the prime ministership.
The latest presidential election, however, makes it clear that LDP factions have lost their clout. They have steadily declined since the debut of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a lone wolf who advocates "defactionalization." His top-down political style has led to the collapse of faction-centered LDP politics.
But the underlying cause for the erosion of factional influence lies elsewhere: in the reform of the election system and the tightening of campaign-finance regulations. The decline of factions also reflects the failure of their leaders to ride the new political wave. The challenge for the LDP is to transform itself so it can meet the needs of the changing times.