Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday pledged to build a cross-party consensus through parliamentary debate as his minority government seeks to ensure sustained pay hikes and regional revitalization as his priority goals.

At the opening of a 150-day Diet session, Ishiba said he wants to transform Japan into a more "sustainable" and "independent" nation, while underscoring the need to monitor the changing global balance of power in an increasingly severe security environment.

Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito no longer control the powerful House of Representatives and the parliamentary session will test the ruling bloc's seriousness in heeding demands from opposition parties after an election defeat last year.

"Both the ruling and opposition parties must engage in deliberations thoroughly and strive to make sure that the people understand and stand with us," he said in his policy speech.

Among the challenges awaiting Ishiba are supporting inflation-hit households, elevating the security alliance with the United States under new President Donald Trump and managing relations with China.

Ishiba, who became prime minister last October, also needs to regain voter confidence in his party ahead of an election this summer for the House of Councillors, the upper house, following a slush funds scandal involving ruling party heavyweights.

"The utmost priority goes to ensuring wage hikes under our economic policy to value human capital. Pay hikes are the linchpin of our growth strategy," Ishiba told fellow lawmakers in parliament.

Under his five-pillar plan to ease urban overconcentration and rejuvenate other areas, he vowed to encourage the regional transfer of offices by the government and head office functions by firms and submit legislation to address the income gap between men and women.

The government plans to submit around 60 bills to parliament during the session that runs through June 22, including one to raise the income threshold for tax payments as demanded by the Democratic Party for the People in one of the first examples of cross-party coordination.

In an apparent attempt to maintain the upward momentum for wages at this year's annual negotiations between management and labor unions, the prime minister also vowed "unceasing" efforts to achieve the goal of raising the average minimum wage to 1,500 yen an hour by the end of the 2020s, from the current around 1,000 yen.

A record 115.54 trillion yen budget for the next fiscal year from April that is pending Diet approval is partly aimed at helping cushion households from the protracted effects of the rising prices of everyday goods.

On the diplomatic front, Ishiba made the case for "multilayered networks" of allies and partners, including Australia, India, South Korea and the Philippines, while avoiding making explicit reference to his long-held vision for a NATO-like alliance in Asia.

"We must deepen cooperation with the United States in a more specific way and continue to ensure its commitment to the region," Ishiba said.

The premier, who is expected to hold his first in-person meeting with Trump in February, said it is critical for such like-minded nations to take the lead in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Ishiba's first diplomatic event of the year was a trip to Indonesia and Malaysia, a sign of Japan's increased focus on fostering cooperation with Southeast Asian nations in ensuring a rules-based order in the region, where China's assertive behavior is a concern.

Experts in diplomacy expect Trump's hardline stance on China to prompt Beijing to warm to Japan, though Sino-Japan relations remain fraught with difficulties.

The Asian neighbors should maintain communication and pursue a "constructive and stable" relationship that is mutually beneficial, Ishiba said. "We will say what needs to be said about outstanding challenges and differing views but will also cooperate wherever possible."

Public support for Ishiba's Cabinet remains low after some ruling party heavyweights were found in late 2023 to have not properly reported income from fundraising parties. The scandal widened to include party members in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly.

The ruling and opposition parties are yet to agree on how to handle donations from businesses and other entities. The LDP is opposed to imposing an outright ban, proposed by opposition parties.

Ishiba, who heads the conservative LDP, made no mention of whether to allow the use of different surnames by married couples, an issue that the largest opposition group, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, sees as a top priority.

The ruling party is cautious about making such a change, for fear of undermining traditional family values.