Takayuki Kobayashi, a 40-something candidate for president, does not cut into the “slush fund issue” for a “fundamental reason.

Although most of the factions have been dismantled, the faction leader class continues to dine at high-end restaurants as in the past, and their words and actions are being discussed, such as the August 14 meeting between Deputy President Taro Aso (83) and Secretary General Toshimitsu Mogi (68) at a steak restaurant in Akasaka-mitsuke. Mr. Fukuda said, “We don’t have any money, so we go to ryotei restaurants.

We don’t have money, so we don’t eat at restaurants but communicate via remote meetings and messengers. The presidential election will be held on a ‘faction-free’ basis. （The Diet members (who attended Kobayashi’s press conference) are not nominators as such, but they have told the leaders of their old factions that they will vote for Kobayashi this time. （There may be some people who will cherish their sentiments (toward the leader), but we will proceed with this group of people.

Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, who is not a member of any faction, has also informed those around him of his intention to run for office, and is expected to hold a press conference soon. The LDP, which is facing headwinds from the faction’s slush fund scandal, may be aiming to impress the public with its “renewal” by fielding a candidate in his or her 40s for president.

However, Yukiko Amakawa, a political scientist, says , “Even if a young candidate in his or her 40s preaches ‘no more factions,’ it seems empty.

Kobayashi is also supporting former Secretary General Akira Amari, 74. He is aiming for his own reinstatement. With Mr. Amari, a heavyweight in the Aso faction, in the Kobayashi camp, he will be able to survive as a kingmaker once Mr. Kobayashi wins the big gold star. Koizumi never says it himself, but former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori (87) asks everyone he meets to take care of Shinjiro. This is a usual move to maintain his influence, but the words of Toshiaki Endo, 74, the first Olympic minister, and Yuko Obuchi, 50, the head of the election committee, will not go unchallenged. Ryota Takeda, 56, former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, who is a member of the same Nikai faction as Kobayashi and was not pleased with Kobayashi’s rise to power, may also respond to Mori’s words, albeit reluctantly.

Former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide (75) has often mentioned Shinjiro’s name as a “future prime ministerial candidate” and has assigned him a nominee this time as well. The elders are clearly visible behind the young candidate.

Regarding the issue of slush funds, Kobayashi insists that he will work on political reforms such as transparency of policy activity expenses and the establishment of a third-party organization, but he adds, “The prosecutors, who have the authority to investigate the matter, have dropped the case. In such a situation, there are limits to the LDP’s investigations,” he also said that he would avoid pursuing the issue further.