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Japan Confirms Citizenship for Former Peruvian President
The Japanese government has confirmed that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who is currently staying in Japan, has Japanese citizenship, Kyodo News reported.
The confirmation paves the way for Fujimori to stay indefinitely in Japan and for the Japanese government to reject an extradition request from Peru, if any, government sources said.
The Japanese government made the confirmation after finding no evidence that the Japanese-Peruvian Fujimori underwent procedures to revoke his Japanese citizenship.
Fujimori's father notified the Japanese Consulate in Peru of his son's birth and submitted an application to keep the baby's Japanese citizenship, the government sources said.
A family register containing the former president's details exists in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan, the sources said.
The Japanese government has learned that Fujimori did not make arrangements to give up his Japanese citizenship following a 1985 law revision, which lets Japanese holding dual nationality renounce their Japanese citizenship if they wish to do so during a certain period of time, the sources said.
Tokyo does not allow Japanese citizens to have dual nationality, but regards as Japanese those who hold dual nationality and have not given up their Japanese citizenship under the 1985 law revision.
Japan's Justice Ministry has been working since November 29 to confirm whether the 62-year-old former Peruvian president possesses Japanese citizenship. The government is expected to make an announcement on Fujimori's Japanese nationality Tuesday, the sources said.
Fujimori, who arrived in Japan on November 17 after attending an informal leadership meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Brunei, submitted his resignation as president from Tokyo on November 20. The Peruvian Parliament, however, rejected it and chose instead to dismiss him on grounds that he was "morally unfit" to govern.
Fujimori has said he has no plans to return to Peru in the near future.
The Peruvian government has demanded that Fujimori return to Peru and testify before a parliamentary commission investigating alleged slush funds controlled by Vladimiro Montesinos, the former Peruvian intelligence chief and one of Fujimori's close aides.
But Japanese citizenship would allow Fujimori to stay indefinitely in Japan and receive legal protection from any requests to extradite him to Peru.
Fujimori, whose parents emigrated to Peru from Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, was originally scheduled to step down as president next July after a new presidential election in April.
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