Political faction

One faction (not to be confused with Group) is a subset of a party or any other organization in the broadest sense politically active, such as a trade union or the military. Factions often characterized by more formal organizational structures as, for example, wing of the party and a strong focus on a leader. Factionalism features such as a number of parties in Asia and Africa, and historically the military in Japan ( Kōdōha and Tōseiha ) before the Second World War and in Thailand during the military government after the war. But the currents within the political parties in the United States or in Australia are sometimes called factions.

A prominent example are the major Japanese parties. In particular, the LDP combined a range of political currents, each individual factions (Japanese派阀, habatsu ) form. Size and influence of the different factions are subject to constant change. Belonging to the different factions is an important factor in forming a government.

The constant competition among the factions on the one hand regarded as firming power for the integrity of the parties, on the other hand they also have a destabilizing effect is attributed to the government. An indication of the latter is that virtually all of Japan's Prime Minister, Parliament dissolved, even though their own party, the government majority.