New Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, pledged Thursday to push for a nuclear phaseout at the earliest possible date and bolster the Constitution by adding more provisions, a sharp contrast to the LDP's desire to promote atomic power and rewrite the national charter.

But New Komeito officials said the party aims to maintain policy consistency with the LDP while sticking to its core stands, including opposition to revising the war-renouncing Article 9, only to be vague on aspects of nuclear energy and constitutional revision.

Thursday's policies are New Komeito's campaign pledges for the upcoming Upper House election. The party already hammered out the first set of key policies earlier this month.