The outlook for ruling Liberal Democratic Party's deliberations on how best to amend the Constitution is now in doubt, with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having been rocked by a scandal involving falsification of official documents, senior lawmakers suggested Wednesday.

Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense minister, said it is more important for the LDP to restore public trust, rather than speeding up the constitutional discussions.

"Before everything, (the party) should convince the public that the Moritomo issue is settled and then make winning back its trust its first priority," Ishiba, who has made no secret of his desire to challenge Abe in the next presidential election in September, told reporters.