Japan and the United States began working-level talks on revising bilateral guidelines on defense cooperation on Thursday, local media reported.

The revision of the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation will focus on strengthening cooperation between the two allies in monitoring and surveillance activities in the East Asian region, reported Japan's Kyodo News Agency.

The revision will also cover the issue of lifting a constitutional ban on Japan's use of collective self-defense rights, according to the report.

The guidelines designed to combat Soviet Union during the Cold War were mapped out in 1978 and revised in 1997 with a focus on the Korean Peninsula.