Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party has decided to resume internal discussions on whether married couples should be allowed to keep separate surnames.

An LDP working team will restart the debate on the issue.

The party's leadership is coordinating to appoint former LDP Diet affairs chief Aisawa Ichiro as the team's chairperson. The position has been vacant.

The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, compiled a proposal earlier this month that asks the government to promptly make the necessary legal revisions to allow the option of keeping separate surnames.

LDP lawmakers who support the change and those with cautious views held separate meetings since the Keidanren compiled its proposal.

The LDP leadership plans to carefully examine the issue.