If the government hopes to raise the 5 percent consumption tax, it will have to gain voter approval in the next House of Representatives election, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Friday.

Shiozaki's remark came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on a TV program Thursday night he would never rule out a consumption tax hike, although no discussions on raising the levy are planned until after this month's Upper House election, which the Abe-led ruling bloc is bracing for amid plunging public support.

In a regular news conference, Shiozaki said overall tax reform, including a possible hike in the consumption tax, would be one of the focuses of the next Lower House election.