Japan party wants govt to intercede for Fujimori

Tokyo, July 5: The Japanese party backing Alberto Fujimori as a candidate in this month's election urged the government to intercede with Chile, where he is under house arrest, so the former Peruvian president can campaign in Japan.

Fujimori, who is of Japanese descent and has dual citizenship in Peru and Japan, unveiled plans last week to run for a seat in Japan's upper house of parliament in a July 29 election.

But Foreign Minister Taro Aso told Shizuka Kamei, acting head of the tiny New People's Party, that the Japanese government wanted to wait to see legal developments in Chile, the ministry said in a statement after Kamei met Aso today.

Fujimori lived in Japan from 2000 to 2005 after the collapse of his presidency amid a huge corruption scandal.

But since November 2005, he has been in the Chilean capital and is fighting extradition to Peru, where authorities want to try him for suspected embezzlement and human rights abuses dating from his 1990-2000 rule.

Many Japanese were pleased when Fujimori was elected president of Peru because of his shared heritage.

They also recall his handling of a 126-day hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima in 1996-97. All but one hostage was rescued, while the hostage takers were killed.

But Fujimori no longer enjoys near-celebrity status in Japan.

His extradition case has raised passions in Peru, where some praise the 68-year-old former leader for his tough stance on terrorism during his presidency, while others view him as corrupt and dictatorial.

Reuters>