§ 11. Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart on the compensation of war victims. [30905]
§ Mr. HurdI discussed the position of the former British prisoners of war and civilian internees with my Japanese counterpart when we met in Halifax on 16 June.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met a group of former prisoners of war and internees on 21 June. He emphasised the Government's deep respect and sympathy for those who suffered as prisoners of the Japanese. We will continue contacts with the Japanese Government to try to resolve this long-standing problem.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursIs it not perverse and unacceptable for one of the richest countries in the world—a country with an immense tradition and cultural heritage—to equivocate on an apology to those people who were so gravely abused during the second world war and to duck and weave on the question of compensation for war victims? Why do not the British Government really lay themselves on the line in discussions with their counterparts in the Japanese Government?
§ Mr. HurdOn the legal point, the hon. Gentleman knows the position. In 1951, both the Labour and Conservative Governments settled that question, so far as the law is concerned, in the San Francisco treaty of that year. So far as Governments are concerned, we are not talking about a legal case, although there is a case brought by former prisoners of war in the Japanese courts.
When my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited Japan in 1993, the Japanese Prime Minister expressed deep remorse as well as apologies for the fact that J panese past actions had inflicted deep wounds on many people, including the former prisoners.
373 We have made it clear often to the Japanese Government that this issue is not disappearing and that the feelings aroused here are strong and go beyond those who suffered. We have discussed with them various ways of tackling that and we shall continue to do so. I made it clear to the Japanese Foreign Minister that the measures so far taken by Japan, and the efforts that the Japanese have made, are not sufficient to allay the anxieties and resentments here.
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonI join in all the tributes that have rightly been paid to my right hon. Friend on his outstanding service not only to the Government but to the Foreign Office over the years in which he has held the high and important office of Secretary of State.
My right hon. Friend's response to the question has been full and sympathetic, but am I right in suggesting that if the Japanese would go so far as to apologise, as the German people and the German Government have done, that would go a long way to meet the concerns expressed? Like many others who have met representatives of the Far East Prisoners of War Association and the Burma Star Association, I believe most fervently that the agreement made in 1951 was inadequate and that there is an excellent case for compensation for those people who were so badly abused.
§ Mr. HurdI am grateful for what my hon. Friend said at the beginning of his question, although there is an element of exaggeration in what has been said about my five and a half years at the Foreign Office. I am particularly glad that such remarks should come from those who have been among my sternest critics at moments during that period.
I sympathise with what my hon. Friend has said. We both know individuals who suffered at the hands of the Japanese. I have a friend in Witney who is one of the leaders of that group of former prisoners and internees. The matter is on that is discussed over and over again in Japan, where it is a matter of high controversy in a way that it is not in Germany. The recent Diet resolution, which was very controversial, was a general statement repeating the expression of deep remorse.