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Japan Confirms Fujimori's Japanese Citizenship
The Japanese government has confirmed that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has Japanese citizenship and can stay indefinitely in Japan, Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono announced Tuesday, December 12.
"There is no legal problem for him (Fujimori) to stay in Japan, " Kono told a press conference.
The Japanese foreign minister said he has been informed about the finding by the Justice Ministry, which has been investigating the case since November 29.
Japanese government sources said Monday that the Justice Ministry has found that 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.
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 give up their Japanese citizenship if they wish to during a certain period of time, the sources said.
Tokyo does not allow Japanese citizens to have dual nationality, but regards those holding dual nationality and having not given up their foreign citizenship under the 1985 law revision as Japanese.
Fujimori, who arrived in Japan on November 17 after attending an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit 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 the 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.
Whether Fujimori will return to Peru or not is an issue between Fujimori and the Peruvian government and Japan should not be involved, Kono said.
"If there is a request from the Peruvian government to hand him over, we will deal with the matter based on Japan's domestic law because Mr. Fujimori is a Japanese," Kono said, suggesting that Japan has no intention of extraditing the former Peruvian president.
Fujimori's parents emigrated to Peru from Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The 62-year-old former Peruvian president's Japanese name is Kenya Fujimori.
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