[Full Text Published] Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, Emaciated and Wheeled Away in a Wheelchair… The Lonely Birthday Party of the “Don of the Seiwakai”

A Birthday Party Held Only for Family

On July 14, as sweltering heat gripped the city center, a quiet gathering was held at the Ginza steakhouse “Hirayama.” It was a birthday party for former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori (89).

“Hirayama” is an ultra-luxury restaurant where dinner costs around 50,000 yen per person. In the past, it was a renowned establishment frequented by heavyweight politicians such as the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (who passed away at age 67) and former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide (77), who held numerous secret meetings there to analyze the political landscape and devise policies and party strategies.

At 5:00 p.m., the guest of honor, Mr. Mori, arrived in a white luxury car. Pushed in a wheelchair by a male attendant, he entered the restaurant. Gone was the imposing physique he once boasted as a powerful faction leader; he had become emaciated, looking almost like a different person.

When greeted by the chef, his expression seemed to soften ever so slightly. The piercing gaze with which he once glared at his political rivals had softened, making him look like a kindly old man.

“It was a birthday party attended only by his family—his wife and daughter, among others. Apparently, no politicians were present. Mr. Mori used to enjoy the restaurant’s famous steak, but lately he’s been limited to just a little soup and a small portion of hamburger steak. This time, it seemed he was more focused on enjoying time with his family than on the meal itself.

“Mr. Mori currently spends his days shuttling between a high-end nursing home—said to have an admission fee of about 60 million yen—and the hospital. Amid this, he was invited by the restaurant through an acquaintance, and that’s how the gathering came about,” said a Liberal Democratic Party official.

Around 8:00 p.m., Mr. Mori left the restaurant and, having been presented with a bouquet—perhaps a birthday gift—returned to the nursing home with a satisfied expression.

Split in the Former Seiwakai

The Liberal Democratic Party, having lost its elder statesmen, remains in turmoil. Following a slush fund scandal involving factional party tickets in 2024–2025, nearly all factions were dissolved.

However, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (65) relied on the sole remaining faction, the Aso faction (Shikokai), to win the party leadership election. In the House of Representatives election in February, many lawmakers implicated in the slush fund scandal were re-elected.The party has yet to fully break away from its chronic ailment—the “factions”—which served as a breeding ground for the slush fund scandal.

Amid this situation, those generating the most buzz—for better or worse—are members of the former Seiwakai, where Mr. Mori once reigned as the “Don.”

“In July, separate organizers held ‘memorial gatherings’ for former Prime Minister Abe, causing a stir. The gathering on the 8th was organized by former Environment Minister Akihiro Nishimura (66) and drew a crowd of about 60 people.

Acting Secretary-General Kōichi Hagiuda (62) and Election Campaign Committee Chairman Yasutoshi Nishimura (63) did not take kindly to this.They pressured lawmakers not to attend the “memorial gathering” on the 8th and held a separate event on the 15th. Efforts to rally support within the former faction have already begun, and a split is brewing,” said a political reporter for a national newspaper.

Journalist Tetsuo Suzuki views this internal strife as “proof that the prestige of Mr. Mori, who was once the ‘Don,’ has faded.”

“Even after moving into a nursing home in the winter of ’23, Mr. Mori continued to maintain his influence both within and outside the faction. It is said that when the slush fund scandal surrounding faction tickets erupted, as soon as he saw that the ‘Group of Five’ could not agree on a solution, he personally reached out to various parties to try to resolve the turmoil.

However, in recent years, his influence has waned due to his age and health issues. The generational shift is underway, and lawmakers are already positioning themselves to become the next ‘Don’—this is likely a result of that decline.”

Mr. Mori’s small back, pushed away from Ginza in a wheelchair, seemed to symbolize the end of an era.

From the August 7 & 14, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*