War veteran Arthur Titherington said today he was delighted with the support given to his snubbing of the Japanese Emperor.

Mr Titherington, 76, of Church Green, Witney, said about 1,500 former prisoners of war and 2,500 military and civilian supporters took part in the protest in London yesterday as Emperor Akihito arrived on a state visit.

The protesters turned their backs as Mr Akihito - who was to receive the Order of the Garter from the Queen - drove past along The Mall.

They also whistled Colonel Bogey, the theme from the film Bridge Over the River Kwai, and one veteran burned a Japanese flag.

Mr Titherington, chairman of the Japanese Labour Camp Survivors' Association, said that Prime Minister Tony Blair had misunderstood the mood of the people when he asked the PoWs to show respect to the Emperor.

Mr Titherington said: "Our support was absolutely overwhelming. Quite frankly, I got more handshakes and congratulations than I've ever had, even from complete strangers."

Mr Titherington and fellow members of the JLCSA want the Japanese government to pay £13,000 compensation for each prisoner of war, or their widows, and are fighting a court action in Tokyo.

They are also demanding an apology from the Japanese government for the treatment prisoners received.

At a Buckingham Palace banquet last night, the Emperor told of his sorrow and pain at the scars left by the war. He said he could never forget the suffering of so many people. But he fell short of issuing a full-scale apology for Japanese atrocities.

Mr Titherington said the Emperor's remarks did not count as an apology. In any case, he added, they wanted an apology from the government rather than the Emperor.

"He has made some comments that don't constitute an apology and I would be amazed had he apologised for his nation," he said.

"He himself has nothing to apologise for, as far as I'm aware. I feel he's in a very invidious position.

"We want an apology from the Japanese government. The government in power from 1942 to 1945 gave instructions as to how we were to be treated. Anybody who joined that government afterwards accepts the decisions that government made - it is their responsibility."

Meanwhile, former Japanese prisoners of war were expected to greet Emperor Akihito with another street protest in Cardiff today.

Welsh war veterans have pledged to repeat yesterday's scenes at The Mall.

The Emperor and Empress were due to be welcomed to the Welsh capital by the Prince of Wales for a three-hour visit. The couple will enjoy a 20-minute programme of Welsh music before being presented to dignitaries at a lunch in Cardiff Castle.

The visit is to mark 25 years of Japanese investment in Wales. There are currently 54 Japanese plants in the principality which have brought £1.5bn into the local economy since 1973.

But former PoW Brenig Jones, 78, from Rhondda, said: "This is the last opportunity we will get to show how we feel. I feel very annoyed at this visit and to some degree snubbed by the Queen and Tony Blair. I shall be there to see the Emperor and if I get the chance I shall tell them what I think.

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