Japanese government officials are vexed over reports that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who disappeared Wednesday afternoon from a Tokyo hotel, hopes to stay in Japan for an extended period of time.

In the morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Fujimori has yet to apply for an extended stay, but the government is prepared to consider a request if it is submitted.

Asked whether the government knows if Fujimori has Japanese and Peruvian nationality, Fukuda said, "We are not fully aware of the facts, so I would like to decline comment at this point."

Another official said Japanese law does not allow dual nationality for adults over 20 years of age.

Fujimori, who submitted his resignation Monday from Tokyo after 10 years as president of the South American country, told reporters Tuesday night he wants to stay in Japan indefinitely.

Fujimori arrived in Japan on Friday after attending a two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Brunei.

Fujimori's whereabouts since he left the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo, where he was staying since Friday, are not known.

Foreign Ministry officials declined to comment on where Fujimori went but said he remains in Japan and has not made any request to extend his stay.

Fujimori apparently left the hotel shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday. Ten boxes and two computers were carried out of the hotel and put in a Peruvian Embassy van, and security guards and embassy personnel all disappeared from the hotel afterward without making any comment.

Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Ryuichiro Yamazaki said Fujimori holds a diplomatic visa issued on May 4, which is good for one year, and that he could still be allowed to stay in Japan temporarily even if he loses the title of president.

As it stands now, if Fujimori stays beyond May 4 next year, he would be staying in Japan illegally.

However, several ministry officials said he would not be asked to leave, both out of diplomatic custom and the fact that Fujimori is a somewhat "special" person to Japan, as the first son of Japanese immigrants ever to become the president of a foreign country.

Partly because of Fujimori's personal ties to Japan, the two governments have forged good relations over the past decade. Fujimori resolved the 1996 seizure of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima by ordering special troops to storm it.

"A visa is an issue of entry to Japan, and there are many ways he can stay, such as asking for special permission for residency," one official said, adding that the government still has to determine exactly what Fujimori's status is under Japanese law.

Although officials of Kumamoto Prefecture, where Fujimori's parents came from, reportedly said Fujimori has always been registered as Japanese, Foreign Ministry officials said his exact legal status in Japan has not been confirmed.

Even if Fujimori was registered through a Japanese Embassy abroad as a son of immigrants, it does not automatically grant him Japanese nationality, another official said. Japan requires dual citizens to choose a nationality when they hit 20.

Given that Fujimori has not made a request on the issue yet and it is unknown what he intends to do in Japan, ministry officials said there is nothing they could do at the moment. "But we will consider ways (for him to stay) once he makes a request," one official said.

However, he also conceded that Japan needs to take a balanced stance in order to maintain good relations with Peru's new government, which is to be led by the opposition.