The Japanese government on Wednesday set up a panel to discuss Internet network neutrality — a concept that has stirred heated debate in the United States — and study how the surging popularity of free file-sharing services such as YouTube.com is impacting the infrastructure.

In the U.S., Internet companies like Google Inc. want lawmakers to bar providers like Verizon Communications and AT&T Inc. from charging Web users to guarantee quality and offer services that have faster download speeds for uses such as movies.

The providers have also criticized Web firms as “free riders” of their heavily-invested networks, while they say they have no intention of blocking consumers’ access to public Internet sites.

Japanese network providers also face pressure to increase investments as Web traffic soared in the past year with more people getting music and video clips from other Internet users’ computers, rather than watching them via online streaming.