Justice Minister Keiko Chiba says she will aim to submit a bill next year to the regular Diet session that would revise the Civil Code to enable married couples to have different surnames.

"It has been the Democratic Party of Japan's policy, and thus I want to realize it as soon as possible," she told reporters Tuesday.

The Liberal Democratic Party, which had been running the government until August, could never reach agreement on the issue, with some members fearing a threat to family unity, even though a Justice Ministry panel proposed allowing different surnames in 1996.