Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said April 23 that he regrets Tokyo was not informed in advance of the rescue operation at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, but added he "understands" the decision of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.
Speaking at a news conference at his Official Residence, Hashimoto expressed gratitude to Fujimori after the Peruvian forces stormed the besieged residence of Ambassador Morihisa Aoki and ended the hostage crisis.
Overall, the Japanese government gave high marks to the operation, which saved all but one of the 72 hostages. "It is close to a miracle that the rescue operations resulted in a minimal number of victims," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto said.