Japan war apology to Britain

The Japanese Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto, has apologised on behalf of hisgovernment for the ill-treatment of prisoners by the Japanese during the Second World War.

Mr Hashimoto told the visiting British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, that his whole cabinet supported an earlier apology offered by a former Prime Minister in 1995.

This had expressed deep remorse and heartfelt apology.

British officials said the government's backing of the apology now was significant, but the BBC correspondent in Tokyo says there is confusion over exactly what was meant by Mr Hashimoto.

In Britain, veterans' organisations which have been campaigning for compensation and a full apology, said the new statement did not go far enough.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service