竹下登
On 8 February 2018, Nukaga announced his intent to resign from his position as head of Heisei Kenkyūkai, the third largest faction in the LDP. Faction members had been unhappy with his performance as leader, namely his loyalty to Prime Minister Abe, and a rebellion had been brewing in the form of an exit of several Upper House members. He is to be replaced by Wataru Takeshita, half-brother of former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita - the latter of whom founded the faction in the first place.