The Liberal Democratic Party said Tuesday it will set up an informal panel within the party to discuss issues concerning Yasukuni Shrine, LDP Secretary General Yoshiro Mori said.

Mori said at a news conference that "issues that have been raised during the 20th century should be settled by the end of this century."

Yasukuni, which enshrines dead soldiers who fought for their country, served as a spiritual pillar of Japan's nationalism during the war.

Yasukuni has been the focus of continued postwar national debate. Cabinet ministers' visits to the shrine, which also enshrines Class A war criminals, have been harshly criticized, especially by other parts of Asia.

Many conservatives in the LDP meanwhile have argued that Cabinet ministers should be allowed to officially pay their respect to soldiers who died for the country.

Some LDP members have argued that Class A war criminals should be separately enshrined from other rank-and-file solders to avoid controversy, and the argument is expected to be discussed by the informal panel.