Japan and Singapore compromised over the name of a 1967 agreement on reparations for World War II, referring to the pact by the date it was signed without characterizing its nature, according to newly declassified diplomatic documents.
The documents show that Japanese negotiators wanted to put the words "economic assistance" in the title, while the Singaporean government insisted that the title reflect a settlement of issues stemming from the war.
Negotiations for the agreement were triggered by the 1962 discovery in Singapore of a large number of remains of Chinese residents killed by the Japanese military. Singapore insisted on compensation for "blood debt," but Japan, while agreeing to the redress, stood firm on calling it "economic assistance."