UK: LONDON: JAPANESE EMPEROR AKIHITO VISIT UPDATE

(26 May 1998) Natural Sound

Hundreds of former Japanese prisoners of war turned their backs in protest on Tuesday at ceremonies in London to honour Japanese Emperor Akihito.

The first symbolic gestures were made as he rode through London with Queen Elizabeth the Second at the start of his state visit to Britain. Later in the day, there were similar scenes when Akihito visited the Tomb of Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey.

The veterans were protesting against the lack of compensation and an apology from the Japanese government for their mistreatment and forced labour.

They're also angered by the Emperor being awarded the Order of the Garter, Britain's highest order of chivalry.

It was the first state visit by a Japanese Emperor to Britain in 27 years.

And there was the traditional pomp and ceremony accorded to such a figure.

But not everyone was pleased Emperor Akihito was in London.

His every move in the British capital was to be dogged by controversy.

As the Queen and Akihito rode together in a horse drawn carriage en route to Buckingham Palace, the traditional cheers of welcome that normally mark such an occasion were initially drowned out by the whistles of former Japanese prisoners of war.

They stood along The Mall with their backs turned in a deliberate gesture of insult towards Emperor Akihito.

They're demanding a full apology and compensation for the atrocities against them in World War Two.

According to the Japanese Ambassador to Britain, any apology would be a political matter for the government, and Japan's constitution does not permit any political involvement by the Emperor.

Similar scenes greeted the Emperor's arrival at Westminster Abbey where he lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

The Japanese Labour Camps Survivors' Association wants compensation from Japan for its members' mistreatment and forced labour and they were determined to make their voices heard.

(UPSOUND Protestors)

The group is seeking 22-thousand U-S dollars for each of its 12-thousand members and an apology.

Internees were given a small amount under a 1952 peace treaty, and the British government decided in 1955 not to seek further redress.

But the Emperor showed no sign of noticing the demonstration as he walked the few steps into the Abbey.

The Dean of Westminster, welcoming the Emperor to the Abbey said none of the many famous people - from kings to poets - buried at the Abbey was more significant than the Unknown Warrior who was killed in Flanders during the First World War.

The Emperor was the latest in a long line of heads of state who had honoured the grave.

The Emperor left the Abbey ahead of Tuesday night's banquet in his honour at Buckingham Palace saying the Emperor was fully aware of the demonstrations but hoped the positive aspects of the trip outweighed any controversy.

Prime Minister Tony Blair had appealed for a warm reception for the head of state of one of Britain's key economic partners - that doesn't appear to have been the case.

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