A former prisoner of war's book about slavery and torture in Japanese prison camps could be sold in Japan, writes David Horne.

Arthur Titherington, 79, of Church Green. Witney, is hoping that publishers can sign a deal to distribute his account in the country.

The book, Kinkaseki One Day at a Time, has already been published in limited edition in Britain, and hardback copies sold out a long time ago.

Now, a South African publisher is releasing a paperback edition with a book launch later this month. Mr Titherington will attend the Frankfurt Book Fair next month in an attempt to gain markets in other countries.

He said: "I have a Japanese friend who has already done a translation and it is now a case of finding a distributor out there.

"The book is obviously a powerful vehicle for our case to achieve proper compensation and a proper apology for the suffering we all went through."

The book will be published by Covos Day Books, one of whose partners, Martyn Day, is a lawyer handling the former Prisoners of War case for up to 10,000 compensation per survivor. Mr Titherington is chairman of the Japanese Slave Labour Camp Survivors Association, and is campaigning for a Japanese apology and compensation for the treatment of PoWs during the last war. The Japanese government has refused to consider the claim and the PoWs are now pressing the British Government to pay up.

On Tuesday, Mr Titherington, who spent three years in prison camps, and other former PoWs, delivered letters of protest to the Japanese Embassy in Piccadilly and to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street. They also laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in London, on the day of the 55th anniversary of the Japanese surrender.