Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso met with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo on the evening of Dec. 21. It is believed that they exchanged views on the possibility of merging three Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) factions affiliated with the Kochi-kai, the Aso faction (40 members), the Kishida faction (Kochi-kai, with 45 members), and the Tanigaki group (about 30 members) led by former Secretary General Sadakazu Tanigaki. Senior officials of the Aso and Kishida factions were also present at the meeting.