The Liberal Democratic Party's biggest faction is apparently regaining unity after a bitter split during the party's presidential election.
In the Sept. 20 race, the Hashimoto faction was divided between its House of Councilors members -- led by Mikio Aoki, who supported Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's re-election -- and those who backed fellow faction member Takao Fujii's bid for party chief.
At one point, Hiromu Nonaka, former LDP secretary general and one of the most vocal opponents of Koizumi within the party, harshly denounced the moves of Aoki and his allies to team up with the prime minister.