A meeting of the Municipal Merger Assistance Headquarters was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the meeting the future measures of the Municipal Merger Assistance Headquarters were agreed. At the end of the meeting Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi addressed the importance of municipal mergers for the promotion of decentralization and bearing in mind local autonomy initiated by the people, the Prime Minister directed all members to do their utmost to ensure that the government as a whole fully supports municipal mergers.