Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday said his administration would try to revise the Constitution, updating it for the new realities of today's world. He said amending the pacifist text is one of the Liberal Democratic Party's most sought-after goals.

"I want to deepen public discussion about the way the Constitution should be, to match a new era," Abe said during a question-and-answer session in the Lower House. "And based on such deepening of discussion, I will firmly and steadily work to revise the Constitution."

Abe is widely expected to set his sights on grappling with constitutional revision if the ruling camp clears the Upper House election next year.