Japan appears set to offer fresh concessions to former prisoners of war.

The BBC's Juliet Hindell reports from Yokohama war grave cemetery. (0' 45")

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is to raise the issue of PoW compensation at a meeting on Monday with his Japanese counterpart.

Mr Blair refused to speculate on the details of what Japan's Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto, is ready to announce but it is unlikely that cash compensation will be offered.

The PoW concessions development came as Mr Blair honoured the Commonwealth war dead at Yokohama war grave cemetery where 1,500 people are buried.

A piper sets the tone at the sombre memorial

Mr Blair said: "Their sacrifice was and is our freedom. Our duty was and ever will be to remember them."

He denied that he would simply be going through the motions when he raised the issue of PoW compensation with Mr Hashimoto.

The British contingent believe a low-key approach will be the best way forward in a stalemate that has lasted more than 40 years.

Japan has always argued that the compensation issue was settled in 1951 when former PoWs received just over �76 each from frozen Japanese assets.

Many former British PoWs want a full apology for their treatment and cash compensation.

Mr Blair, who is on a five-day visit to Japan, said: "All the issues connected with prisoners of war will be raised with the Japanese Prime Minister.

"We will raise all the issues concerned with PoWs as people would expect us to and it has always been our intention to do that and we will do that."

About 140,000 British and Commonwealth troops were taken prisoner by the Japanese.

There were also several thousand civilian captives, including women and children who were living in the Far East when Japan entered the war.

Prisoners were badly treated because the Japanese regarded surrender as a form of cowardice and regarded their Allied prisoners as unworthy of respect.

In 1995 the Japanese Prime Minister of the time, Tomiichi Murayama, offered a "heartfelt apology" for his country's aggression

But British war veterans were not impressed. They said it was a personal apology, rather than in the name of the Japanese government.

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