TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its new junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, began talks on Thursday toward drafting proposals for the first-ever revision to Japan's postwar pacifist Constitution.

The move comes as the LDP last month parted with its longstanding partner Komeito party, which has been reluctant to amend the war-renouncing Article 9, and teamed up with JIP that advocates a substantial change to the clause in light of tough security conditions.

The LDP, which has long pursued a revision to the Constitution drafted by the U.S.-led occupation forces after World War II, and JIP plan to deepen their discussions on the amendment of Article 9 and on introducing an emergency clause that would give the government more power in the event of a major disaster or armed attack, according to lawmakers.

These two areas were mentioned in the agreement that the two parties signed on Oct. 20 when they decided to form a coalition, which paved the way for LDP chief Sanae Takaichi to become prime minister the following day.

"As we share the same goal, we would like to advance discussions," Yoshitaka Shindo, a veteran LDP lawmaker who is leading the panel to draft clauses with JIP, said at the gathering held for the first time.

Nobuyuki Baba, who will lead the panel from the JIP side, said that setting up the panel means that they moved "one step" closer to a constitutional amendment.

Japan's Constitution has remained unchanged since it took effect in 1947, with no formal amendment process ever initiated, partly due to the high hurdle needed for it to be approved by the Diet.

Amending the supreme law requires approval by a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the Diet, followed by majority support in a national referendum.

Currently, the LDP and other reform-supporting forces hold fewer than two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives, though they have an overwhelming majority in the House of Councillors.

Article 9 is an iconic part of the Constitution, which many conservatives see as a humiliating imposition by the U.S.-led occupation after Japan's defeat in World War II. The public is divided over whether to change Article 9.

Article 9 renounces war and prohibits the possession of military forces or other "war potential." The LDP has called for clarifying the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces, among other changes, to put an end to arguments that Japanese forces are "unconstitutional."

The JIP, also known as Nippon Ishin, meanwhile, has proposed in a recent report on national defense and constitutional revision changes, which include deleting one of Article 9's paragraph banning the possession of military forces in a bid to bring an end to the country's "exclusive defense-oriented" posture.

Because the two parties are not fully aligned on the revision of Article 9 and do not even have a majority in the more powerful lower house, there is uncertainty about whether major progress will be made on constitutional amendments.

Under the coalition agreement, the two parties aim to come up with amendment proposals for submission to the Diet by the end of March 2027.