Addressing the guests, the Emperor said he could "never forget" the many kinds of suffering undergone by so many.He said: "It truly saddens me, however, that the relationship so nurtured between our two countries should have been marred by the Second World War."His words failed to satisfy the veterans, however, who said their protests would continue long after the Emperor had returned to Japan.. Rachel Hurst, chairman of the group, says: "It's a kind of apartheid - we've been saying that for years. All the other things we have to put up with, being spat on, patronised and ignored are just the icing on the gingerbread."A survey by Britain's leading disability care charity, the Leonard Cheshire, recently revealed that almost a third of the public believe those in wheelchairs are "less intelligent". Young people presented a letter to Tony Blair at Downing Street yesterday asking him to support a change in the law stopping local education authorities forcing disabled children into special schools. Among the group were disabled youngsters fighting legislation to join friends and siblings in ordinary schools.While the law says society should not discriminate, Rights Now, the group which campaigns for civil rights for disable people, says it does not always work in practice.

They seemed detached from the angry scenes around them, as if nothing was wrong.The Emperor and Empress lunched with their hosts in the Bow Room overlooking the Buckingham Palace gardens.After lunch came the controversial award of the prestigious Order of the Garter to the Emperor from the Queen.War veterans had protested at the award of the honour which was also held by the Emperor's father, grandfather and great-grandfather.The protesters were back after lunch to await the Emperor's arrival at Westminster Abbey, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.As he and Empress Michiko stepped out of their Rolls-Royce limousine, members of the crowd outside turned their backs and began humming Colonel Bogey.The Emperor ignored the demonstration as he walked the few steps into the Abbey.The next stop for the royal couple was a brief visit to St James's Palace, squeezed in before tea with the Queen Mother and the high point of the day - a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Months before the BSE crisis destroyed Ulster exports of beef, the Province had been celebrating a rise in exports, particularly to Scandinavia.More than 20,000 jobs depend on beef production in Northern Ireland - 8 per cent of the workforce - and the Government has spent pounds 1.5bn in aid to farmers and slaughterhouses.. UP until the moment that the royal carriage carrying the Queen and the Emperor of Japan turned into The Mall, the ceremony had all the trappings of an official visit of a foreign head of state. Instead of the usual roar of approval from the crowd, the Japanese royals were greeted by a cacophony of protest as their carriages were driven towards Buckingham Palace. At one point the Prince of Wales leaned forward to make small talk with the Japanese guests in an attempt to shield them from the booing of the ageing protestors.At a ceremony at Horse Guards, the Emperor and Empress were afforded every courtesy of the official welcome and were able to enjoy the pomp and grandeur without the disruption of demonstratos.The imperial couple travelled down The Mall with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in two closed carriages with windows which would muffle the sounds from noisy demonstrators.Despite the angry reception, the Queen and Emperor Akihito managed to remain composed when they arrived at Buckingham Palace. The formal announcement is expected in Brussels todaywhen the European Commission approves the Province's computerised cattle monitoring system as a comprehensive safeguard against BSE. A lifting of the ban in Ulster was agreed earlier this year by European Union farm ministers, but was put on hold until the Commission completed final checks on Northern Ireland's anti-BSE measures.Now the battle is on among Ulster farmers to win back their lost export market worth about pounds 180m-a-year - 80 per cent of its beef is exported.Early customers are likely to be the Dutch, and confidence is rising that the stigma of BSE has already been overcome in traditionally lucrative markets such as France, Italy and Spain. However, such a candidate would face a "rigorous interviewing process" by the NEC.Liz Davies, a former Labour candidate who was dropped by the NEC, protested: "Under these proposals every Labour MP who is selected will owe their job to the patronage of the Prime Minister.".

NORTHERN Ireland is set to resume beef exports next Monday - more than two years after the mad cow scare closed the door on its markets around the world. For the first time, the whips will send reports on MPs' voting records to the NEC with the clear implication that trouble-makers will not be endorsed by the party leadership. "MPs consent to the whip before they come in," Mr Blair said.The NEC is also proposing to set up an approved list of candidates for selection in seats where MPs retire or there is no Labour MP. The leadership insisted it would not stop constituency parties from choosing a candidate who had not been "pre-endorsed" by the NEC. He said he expected it to be "tougher next year than it has been up to now".Mr Blair gave his warning as the NEC endorsed changes in the rules by 14 votes to 2 which could increase the leadership's grip on the party at Westminster, and limit the threat of backbench rebellions.Dennis Skinner and Ken Livingstone voted against the leadership, and other left-wing Labour MPs were threatening to campaign at this year's party conference against the changes, which they protested would produce more "Blairite" MPs.Mr Blair defended a change in the rules which will make it simpler for sitting MPs to be reselected by their constituency parties.

"We are not saying no unit should ever be closed but we want to preserve choice for women," she said.There is growing concern among midwives that smaller maternity units, particularly in rural areas, are closing, leaving pregnant women to travel up to 30 miles for scans, ante-natal care and to give birth.The Royal College has written to Mr Dobson warning that women are being denied choice in maternity units because the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Paediatricians prefer larger units for training their members.Roy Lilley, page 19. Mr Blair said extra investment in schools and hospitals was necessary but not the only answer. His remarks were seen as a clear signal that the spending review could confront the party with hard choices involving cuts elsewhere in public spending. The Prime Minister told the NEC that the Chancellor's comprehensive spending review was "an opportunity to put us back on track and will define the priorities of the Government". Gordon Brown is expected to produce more money in July for Labour's two key commitments on education and health. TONY BLAIR yesterday warned the Labour Party's ruling national executive that the next 12 months would be "tougher" than the honeymoon period that the Government has enjoyed since the general election. Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, called on Mr Dobson to order a moratorium of all closures, pending a review. I want to look into that."His remarks on BBC radio were welcomed by the Royal College of Midwives, which is campaigning for women to be given wider choice over maternity units.

Frank Dobson has still not come up with a list of those staying open Until he does, we stand by our claims. We do not have the same access to information as Mr Dobson."The Health Secretary said: "There will be some changes in the service some local hospitals provide, including some closures This is nothing new. But the Tories' talk of a systematic pre-planned programme of hospital closures is simply nonsense."Mr Dobson did express concern about the closure of small maternity units across Britain. "There are changes going on and some of these changes I am very dubious about. One of the biggest problems is the threat to maternity units in smaller hospitals," he said."It comes not from the Government but from the fact that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists like bigger units because they don't like to recognise smaller units for training purposes. One closure in Rye was carried out by the Tories two years ago, he added. A Tory spokesman said: "Yes, trusts have merged but as far as we are concerned, no guarantees have been made that the hospitals will not be closed down.