New Komeito will not "actively support" the dispatch of the Ground Self-Defense Forces to Iraq unless the security situation in the country improves, Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba told a meeting of local party representatives Saturday in Tokyo.
New Komeito President Takenori Kanzaki also said the government should be "extremely cautious" in deciding the timing of the dispatch.
Nevertheless, Kanzaki said, the party will approve the government's proposal to draw up a basic plan to send the SDF, paving the way for the plan to be endorsed by the Cabinet on Tuesday.
Many female supporters of New Komeito, in particular members of Soka Gakkai, the nation's largest lay Buddhist group, are believed to be opposed to the SDF being sent to the war-torn country.
Caution within New Komeito, a coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, could affect the government's decision on the timing of the dispatch, as the party is believed to have more political power within the ruling bloc since the Nov. 9 general election.
New Komeito helped dozens of LDP candidates with its strong electoral organizations, based on Soka Gakkai, during the Lower House election.
Despite his caution, Fuyushiba, the party's No. 2 man, also emphasized that humanitarian efforts by the GSDF will be important in improving the lives of local people.
"We should not be at all intimidated against supporting the spirit of the law (that allows the SDF dispatch) to Iraq," Fuyushiba said.