Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is the face of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and gets the credit ¡ª or blame ¡ª from the public for its actions.

But behind Ishiba is a veteran politician with no prime ministerial ambitions who political experts say derives his influence from an ability to quietly listen to a range of different, competing voices within the LDP and then forge deals acceptable to the party as a whole.

That man is LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama.