The Liberal Democratic Party and one of its two allies, the New Conservative Party, plan to start adjusting opinions within the ruling bloc on freezing the government's plan to relocate the functions of the central government outside Tokyo, party sources said.

Senior LDP officials have asked the National Land Agency, which is in charge of the plan, to consider freezing it, the sources added Friday.

In consideration of the sluggish economy, the two parties decided that the plan, which requires a huge budget, should be included in the government's economic policy review, in which many public works projects are being drastically cut back, the sources said.