Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday called for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to unify ahead of two crucial elections this summer, saying the scandal-weary party can regain public trust by being more "humble" and attuned to people's needs.

At an annual party convention in Tokyo, the LDP said it will draw up a new vision for the country by around Nov. 15, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the conservative party which has long held the goal of amending Japan's war-renouncing Constitution.

The LDP, headed by Ishiba, is on the back foot after a dismal result in a general election last October when the ruling coalition lost its majority control of the House of Representatives.

Tomoko Yoshino, chief of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, was involved in the convention, signaling the LDP's desire to be on good terms with the country's largest trade union umbrella group, also known as Rengo, ahead of the elections.

Rengo, which had not sent its chief to the gathering in 20 years, is a major source of support for the main opposition forces -- the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People.

Ishiba warned the LDP membership that it should remember the feeling of being in opposition, as the party was between 2009 and 2012.

"The only way for us to restore trust is to become a party that is closer to the people, by listening attentively to the voices of those who are vulnerable, struggling and in pain," he said.

Ishiba has been struggling to regain public support lost in the fallout from a slush fund scandal involving the ruling party. His policy flip-flops, most recently over plans to raise medical costs, have added to his woes, with his position facing strong pushback from opposition lawmakers and the public.

"I will take the lead and do my all to make sure that we win in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election (on June 22) and upper house election," he added.

Rengo chief Yoshino urged the LDP to move to allow married couples to use different surnames -- a divisive issue for the ruling party.

"I want you to imagine yourself having to change your family name and treat this issue as your own," she said, noting that an overwhelming majority of the participants at the venue are male.

"I hope to see a new system, that will give (married people) the option of choosing different surnames, established during the current parliamentary session" that runs until June, Yoshino said.

She also underscored the need for continued pay hikes to support struggling households ahead of the culmination this week of annual wage negotiations between labor and management. Another participant Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren, also made a similar point.

The LDP has been debating the different surname issue, with its junior coalition partner Komeito and opposition parties in favor of a change. Women traditionally take their husbands' family name after marriage.

Conservative LDP members and supporters fear such a change will undermine the traditional values and the family unit.

Ishiba did not mention his desire to amend the Constitution during his address, though in its policy document the LDP said it will accelerate debate in parliament in hopes of progressing the issue while seeking public support.

The LDP's membership has declined for the past two years, falling by over 60,000 from 2023 at the height of the funding scandal. At the end of 2024, the party had a membership of some 1.02 million.