Kinmochi Saionji in front of Party of Political Friends headquarters From supplement volume 2 of "Saionji Kinmochi Den"

At the end of the Meiji Era, it had become customary for SAIONJI Kinmochi, head of the Rikken Seiyukai, to alternate the prime ministership with Katsura Taro who was a member of the Yamagata faction and who controlled the bureaucrats, House of Peers, and military.

A letter sent by SAIONJI to KATSURA on 30 December 1905 (Meiji 38) serves as a historical document illustrating the process of horsetrading between the two politicians. After the entire KATSURA Cabinet resigned on 21 December 1905, SAIONJI, as the next Prime Minister, asked KATSURA for in advance about the appointment of MATSUOKA Yasutake as Agriculture Minister and YAMAGATA Aritomo's adopted son, YAMAGATA Isaburo, as Communications Minister. Eventually, in the first SAIONJI Cabinet that was launched on 7 January 1906, only three Cabinet members came from the Seiyukai, including SAIONJI himself.

From the outset, KATSURA had advocated the policy of "isshi dojin" (keeping equal distance from each political party), but given the breakdown in the proceedings in the 27th Diet session under the second KATSURA Cabinet owing to conflicts over the budget proposal, he decided to shore up his partnership with the Seiyukai forces. On 29 January 1911 (Meiji 44), Prime Minister KATSURA invited Diet members from the Rikken Seiyukai and argued for a partnership with that group (in "a meeting of minds").

In this letter, SAIONJI praises Prime Minister KATSURA's decision, saying "Your decision at this juncture is truly timely."