The ruling Liberal Democratic Party edged closer to extending Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's term as party president on Tuesday, proposing to either raise the existing limit to three consecutive terms over a total of nine years or abolish term limits entirely.

If Abe is able to run for a third three-year term as party president, and succeeds, he will be in office when the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are held in 2020.

Current party rules limit LDP presidents to two consecutive terms totaling six years, meaning Abe's term is set to expire in September 2018.