ABSTRACT
Since the end of World War II, bilateral relations between the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan have developed from the position of former enemies to those of close friends. However, it has not been a smooth transition and the bilateral relationship has been dogged by a number of unresolved issues, such as the Japanese Imperial Army’s treatment of former UK prisoners of war (PoWs) and related demands for a formal apology and provision of compensation from the Japanese government. These and other issues came clearly to the fore in the UK media’s coverage of the commemorative events held for the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II in 1995, demonstrating that wartime memories and more general prejudices were only just below the surface of a seemingly cordial bilateral relationship.
