Hashimoto doesn't pretend to be an ardent supporter of Mori's team. These LDP stalwarts played a key role in creating Mori's administration, but have appeared wary of his inability to overcome a reputation as a bungler. For one, he doesn't have the consensus-building forte of predecessors Obuchi and Takeshita. Some say that bodes ill for the faction's future. How long the faction holds together under these circumstances is problematic.
Serious consideration has to be given to preventing further deterioration in our public finances.
Such penny-pinching apparently resonates with voters. The LDP appears to have learned a valuable lesson. Some of the conservative party's staunchest supporters of publicly financed construction projects now embrace cutting spending by cancelling controversial plans for dams and bridges that have been held up by environmentalists and local taxpayers. Some LDP lawmakers say it's too little, too late. Several dozen Young Turks have distanced themselves from Mori and his cronies by creating a high-profile forum giving them a platform to snipe at party leaders.