The British government will make 10,000 pound payments to victims of Japan's World War II POW camps, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
Junior Defense Minister Lewis Moonie told Parliament that the gratuity would be paid to former POWs, their widows and civilian internees.
The government's decision prompted a group of former POWs to withdraw a long-standing lawsuit in Japan seeking compensation from the Japanese government.
"We can now start the process of withdrawing the Japanese court action and putting this matter to rest," said the POWs' lawyer, Martyn Day.