The Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction, which had been led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, decided on an interim leadership structure at its general meeting on Thursday. It was the first meeting since Abe was fatally shot on July 8.
The lineup will revolve around acting chairmen Hakubun Shimomura and Ryu Shionoya until Sept. 27, the date set for Abe's state funeral. However, the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyukai faction, as it is officially called, lacks a universally supported successor to Abe as chairman, so it remains possible that the group could split up after Abe's funeral.
