Photo/Illutration Fumio Kishida, right, celebrates his win in the leadership election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party with his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Sep. 29, 2021. (Koichi Ueda)

In a rare rebuke, former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga leveled criticism at his successor, Fumio Kishida, for remaining as the head of a political faction while leading the country.

Suga said it “sends a message that faction politics still lingers on, which makes the public more critical” about whose interests he has at heart.

Suga made the comment during an interview for the monthly magazine Bungeishunju, where he spoke out against faction politics and argued the ruling Liberal Democratic Party needs to undergo reforms.

The two have maintained their distance from each other following Suga’s resignation as prime minister.

Suga has yet to publicly criticize Kishida’s administration, but in the interview he questioned his behavior as a politician.

Suga, who does not belong to a faction, told the magazine that politicians tend to prioritize the interests of their factions over ideology and policy.

“When I was prime minister, I made decisions on appointments without accepting recommendations from political factions,” he said.

He said other former prime ministers, including Shinzo Abe, left their factions during their time in office.

“It is necessary to be conscious about how the fact Prime Minister Kishida continues to belong to a political faction looks in the eyes of the public,” Suga said. 

Kishida has remained at the helm of his own faction even after becoming prime minister in October 2021.

He attends the faction’s regular meetings, where he sometimes delivers speeches.

Hiroshige Seko, secretary-general for the LDP in the Upper House, defended Kishida’s integrity and said the choice is up to him.

“Prime Minister Kishida has never obviously been factional in doing his job (as prime minister),” he said at a news conference on Jan. 11. “It was a tradition until Prime Minister Abe that the leader of a political faction leaves (it after becoming prime minister), so I believe the prime minister can make his own decision.”

Jun Azumi, the Diet Affairs Committee chairman of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said that Suga’s comments “prove that LDP members have been frustrated in many ways.”

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