Japan and Peru remained divided Friday over Lima’s request that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori be extradited, making no headway in a diplomatic dispute that has lingered for nearly a year.
It is the first time that Peruvian officials have traveled from Lima to directly make the extradition request.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima said the two sides did not expect to reach any sort of conclusion, adding that they are “exchanging views.”
“Since we have received an official request from them, we are studying it in accordance with our laws,” he said.
But, Takashima added, Japanese law prohibits the extradition of Japanese nationals to any other country, except if there is an extradition treaty with that country. Japan has concluded only two treaties on criminal suspects, with the U.S. and South Korea.
Martha Chavarri, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry’s undersecretary for Asia affairs and head of the visiting government mission, told a separate news conference she was “satisfied” with the meeting but urged Japan not to use domestic law to override international law in considering the extradition.
Last March, Interpol issued a “Red Notice” for the arrest and extradition of Fujimori on murder and kidnapping charges in Peru dating from the early 1990s. The notice does not carry the force of an arrest warrant.
Born In Peru to Japanese immigrant parents, Fujimori fled to Japan in November 2000 amid a corruption scandal at home. His Japanese nationality was confirmed that December.
