Former internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi dined in Tokyo with lawmakers close to him, including former tax commission chief Yoichi Miyazawa, in a gathering seen as a show of unity ahead of next year's leadership race.
About five people joined the dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the capital on the evening of November 5, according to TV Asahi. They were mainly former cabinet ministers from the old Kishida faction, to which Hayashi belonged, including former health, labor and welfare minister Norihisa Tamura. Most had been listed in Hayashi's camp in last year's leadership election.
Hayashi left the cabinet in the September reshuffle and has since focused on regional speeches and media appearances. Some see the activity as an effort to court local votes ahead of the leadership election next autumn.
Hayashi has so far declined to commit, saying it is "too early" to discuss his plans for the race. An aide said he would run "whatever the situation," while a lawmaker close to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was dismissive, saying he would struggle to collect the 20 endorsements needed to stand.
The dinner points to the quiet return of faction-style gatherings, even as the Liberal Democratic Party has promised to move away from the faction system that dominated its internal politics.