During our discussions, I made plain the strong feelings in Britain about the issue of the former British Prisoners of
War.
- I said that great interest had been aroused by Mr. Hosokawa's
formal expression of profound remorse and apologies for past
Mr. Hosokawa said that Japanese actions during World War II. he wished to reiterate these sentiments to all those in Britain who had suffered as a result of Japanese conduct.
We noted that the question of compensation had legally been settled by the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
I told Mr. Hosokawa that if in future the Japanese Government contemplated taking steps to address the matter, it would be necessary for the situation of those concerned in Britain to be taken fully into account.
- I informed Mr. Hosokawa that we were also examining whether
non-governmental measures would assist in solving this problem. Both of us thought that this kind of approach was worth examining.
While we recognised that immediate solutions were not possible, we agreed to keep closely in touch about this matter. Contacts will therefore continue.