TOKYO -- While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a war-linked Tokyo shrine sparked anger and disappointment abroad, his promotion of a conservative agenda is also testing the Liberal Democratic Party's relationship with its more dovish coalition partner, New Komeito.

In a stump speech delivered in Tokyo on Thursday, New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi voiced his displeasure at Abe's provocative visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. He stressed that economic revitalization, not conservative policy shifts, remains the government's top priority for 2014, and urged Abe to improve relations with China and South Korea.

"If we achieve economic revitalization and overcome deflation, that would mark a grand, historic achievement," Yamaguchi said. "We'll continue to tackle (economic revitalization) as an utmost priority.

"In addition to the backlash from China and South Korea, we've heard harsh criticism from the U.S., Russia and the European Union," Yamaguchi added. "We should heed the voices of the people and the international community, and try not to stray away from our path."

Ahead of its 50th anniversary in November, New Komeito hopes to re-establish its position as a "party of peace."

But as the Abe government wrestles with a series of foreign policy and national security issues in the new year, the party is expected to face difficult decisions.

Mindful of its coalition partner's misgivings, the LDP gave up on easing the embargoes on arms exports last year. New Komeito was willing to accept sharing arms and related technologies with international organizations such as the United Nations. But it balked at allowing exports of the Self-Defense Forces' aircraft and vessels.

And it plans to draw a line in the sand at allowing the SDF to come to the defense of allies under attack, a military action not permitted under the current government interpretation of the Constitution.

Abe expects to officially change the government's stance on exercising the right to collective defense as early as the summer and hopes to alter the law on the SDF's rule of conduct. New Komeito will have to determine its position by that time, with some hard-liners advocating an exit from the coalition.

While the relationship between the two parties grows tenuous, conservative members are becoming increasingly vocal in the LDP.

After the Yasukuni visit, Abe told party allies that he had the backing of a cross-partisan group of roughly 200 conservative lawmakers -- the majority of them LDP members.

Abe is also exploring cooperation with like-minded lawmakers in other conservative parties, such as the Japan Restoration Party and Your Party.

(Nikkei)