TOKYO — Japan's defense minister, who recently called the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq a "mistake," said today he would like to visit the country before Tokyo decides whether to extend its mission there.

Fumio Kyuma's comments come amid rising criticism of the Iraq war in Japan, which has been a key ally in the U.S.-led coalition. Japan sent non-combat ground troops to southern Iraq for two years and currently runs airlifts in the region for coalition forces.

But with the Kuwait-based air operation scheduled to expire July 31, there is growing debate about whether Tokyo will continue its contributions. In January, Kyuma raised eyebrows in Washington by calling the U.S. decision to invade Iraq a "mistake" for being based on the dubious assumptions that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

"As far as the conducting the airlift activities without any problems is concerned, I'd like to go once and see things with my own eyes," Kyuma said at a news conference. The timing of such a trip would depend on parliament's schedule, he said.

Japan has suffered no casualties in its Iraq dispatches, but public sensitivities about the conflict run high in a country with a pacifist constitution that prohibits the use of force to settle international disputes.

Tokyo is America's staunchest ally in Asia and originally backed the war in Iraq. But in a sign of changing attitudes, hundreds of protesters rallied over the weekend in Tokyo to mark the fourth anniversary of the invasion and demand the troops pull out.

Today, a defense policy committee in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved extending the mission for two years.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he supported the extension, which needs Cabinet and parliament approval.

"We must live up to our responsibility to help reconstruct Iraq," Abe said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has urged Tokyo to maintain the mission, part of Japan's bid to boost its international profile.