Australian troops serving alongside Japanese soldiers in East Timor may be a sign of the future, but a Returned and Services League state president will not participate in a visit to Japan for fear of offending former prisoners of war, RSL National President Maj. Gen. Peter Phillips said Friday.
The RSL is a national body for serving and former defense force personnel and their families, with a membership of more than 214,000.
Its national executive, comprising seven state and territorial presidents and a national secretary, will visit Japan in November at the invitation of Tokyo, Phillips told Kyodo News.
Five of the state and territorial presidents will take part in the visit, with New South Wales President Keith Hall declining the invitation and South Australian President John Baily unconfirmed for health reasons, Phillips said.