Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Shigeru Ishiba, former secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, met at a Tokyo restaurant on Monday night, fueling speculation about Ishiba’s moves ahead of the LDP leadership race, expected to be held in September.
Ishiba, who is running in the LDP leadership election, appears to have exchanged views with Suga about his future plans.
With Prime Minister Fumio Kishida running for re-election in the party race, Suga has become increasingly critical of Kishida’s government.
Monday’s meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, was also attended by Ryota Takeda, the former interior minister.
Ishiba, often favored in opinion polls to become the next prime minister, is still struggling to shore up his support base within the party, having run for and lost four LDP leadership races.
Suga, a leading figure among non-mainstream LDP members, has some influence over party lawmakers who are not affiliated with intra-party groups. His actions have drawn attention, especially after he called for Kishida’s resignation last month.
Takeda is a key member of the LDP faction led by former party secretary-general Toshihiro Nikai. He has a tense relationship with LDP vice chairman Taro Aso, who supports Kishida.
