"I can make a visit at any time, but I will decide on the timing of visit appropriately," Koizumi told reporters.

Koizumi made the remarks after attending a ceremony to mark the 61st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the southwestern city of Hiroshima.

The prime minister, who steps down in September, has prayed annually at the Yasukuni shrine, infuriating neighbouring China and South Korea which see the site as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

The shrine honors 2.5 million war dead along with 14 Class-A, or top, war criminals from World War II.

Defending his annual pilgrimage, Koizumi said: "As for my visit to Yasukuni, there is no problem at all with pledging no more war and expressing condolences for the war dead."

He added: "I don't think it is wrong for a Japanese prime minister to express condolences for the war dead at a Japanese facility."

Koizumi has gone to the shrine each year since taking office in 2001 and there is wide speculation he will visit on August 15, the sensitive anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

In his campaign pledges six years ago, Koizumi promised to make a visit on the anniversary but has so far avoided doing so on expectations of much stronger criticism by Beijing and Seoul which are still haunted by Tokyo's wartime aggression.

Attention has also been focused on whether candidates to succeed Koizumi next month plan to visit the shrine if elected.

Shinzo Abe, chief cabinet secretary and the front-runner to be the next prime minister, has backed Koizumi's visits to the shrine and hinted he would follow suit.

Abe's rival Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, who trails far behind in opinion polls, has said he would not go to the Yasukuni shrine as prime minister out of consideration for repairing relations with neighboring countries.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso, normally considered to be a conservative hawk, will announce his candidacy next week, saying he would shun Yasukuni as prime minister, news reports said.

Aso will also propose taking away Yasukuni's religious corporation status so that the government can separate the names of Class-A war criminals from the shrine, they said.

Opinion polls showed a drop in support for visits to the shrine after reports last month that late wartime emperor Hirohito stopped going because it honored war criminals.