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 | | Wednesday, 27 March, 2002, 08:48 GMT Japan rejects PoW claims  The survivors have campaigned for years A Japanese court has rejected an appeal by British and other former prisoners of war who have been demanding compensation and an apology from the Japanese Government. The plaintiffs represent 20,000 former soldiers and civilian internees who suffered appalling conditions in Japanese camps in World War II. About 50,000 Britons were detained by the Japanese during the war and nearly 13,000 died in captivity.
The Tokyo high court has now turned down their appeal after a lower court through out the case three years ago. The reason given is the same. Japan insists that all compensation claims were settled by the peace treaty signed after the war. Only one of the plaintiffs was in court to hear the verdict this time - a New Zealand resident Henk Zeeman who was forced to work as a slave labourer after Japan invaded what is now Indonesia in 1942. The latest setback did not come as a surprise. The courts have consistently rejected compensation claims by victims of Japanese aggression in Asia. However, the plaintiffs said they would appeal again, this time to Japan's Supreme Court | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Asia-Pacific stories now:  Links to more Asia-Pacific stories are at the foot of the page. | |
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