Former Prime Minister Taro Aso is set to defy pressure to dissolve his faction within the Japanese ruling party, sources close to the matter said Saturday, as other intraparty groups, including one led by the incumbent Fumio Kishida, have decided to disband amid a scandal over fundraising.
Aso, who heads the second-biggest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, has conveyed his intention to Kishida, the party's president, by saying his group's political funds have been properly managed, the sources said. Kishida accepted the explanation.
Among the LDP factions, Kishida on Thursday pledged to dissolve the fourth-biggest group that he led until December in order to dispel public distrust in politics.
The biggest, 99-member group previously led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the fifth largest helmed by former LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai followed suit Friday, when prosecutors charged those related to the three factions for failures to report political funds.
No criminal case has been built against the group led by Aso, currently the LDP's vice president, and the other two factions -- the third-largest headed by LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi and the smallest led by Hiroshi Moriyama, chief of the party's general council.
The scandal has dealt a blow to Kishida, pushing down approval ratings for his Cabinet sharply.
Factions have played roles in decision-making processes within the LDP, a party with around 370 lawmakers, including the selection of the party's leader, who typically becomes prime minister. Through the groups, member lawmakers could obtain campaigning funds and support to land ministerial posts.
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