Staking out its position before the Dec. 16 Lower House election, New Komeito called over the weekend for exempting food and daily necessities from the forthcoming hike in the consumption tax.
However, the close ally of the Liberal Democratic Party failed to suggest in its platform a specific figure for the reduced rate.
The party says the special rate should be applied to help support low-income people.
The 5 percent tax will be raised to 8 percent in April 2014 in the first of two phases that will eventually see the rate increase to 10 percent. The legislation for the hike, passed in August, calls on the government to weigh introduction of a lower rate for food and daily necessities.