Memorial pitch expected by yearend

A government advisory panel is expected to propose the creation of a new memorial facility for Japan's war dead by year's end.

The panel is attempting to ease the tension with neighboring countries that is sparked each time a prime minister visits Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the war dead along with Class-A World War II criminals.

But a major hurdle must be cleared before construction begins. A number of Liberal Democratic Party heavyweights are either in opposition to or cautious about the project. Among those concerned are former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and former LDP Secretary General Makoto Koga, president of the Japan Association for the Bereaved Families of the War Dead, political sources said.