Peru Election 2006

Questions concerning former President of the Republic of Peru Alberto Fujimori
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Press Conference by the Press Secretary
November 8, 2005

Q: I have several questions on former President of the Republic of Peru Alberto Fujimori. One of the questions is, did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs know that he was leaving before he left?
Mr. Chiba: It is not that we learned about his leaving after he left, but obviously, we were not notified well in advance. We learned about his leaving shortly before he actually did.
Q: Shortly before he left? When?
Mr. Chiba: I am sorry, I would like to refrain from telling you exactly since when we knew but there was not a longstanding notification as to his departure.
Q: The second question is, some Japanese newspapers have said that since Mr. Fujimori holds Japanese nationality the Japanese Government will file a complaint to the Government of the Republic of Chile for his release. Is this true? This is what I learned from Japanese newspapers so I would like to make sure whether or not it is true.
Mr. Chiba: Generally speaking if a Japanese national is apprehended abroad on criminal charges, then the Japanese Government usually asks the government in question as to why this person was apprehended and on what causes and will take necessary measures as regarded appropriate. Having said this, in the case of Mr. Fujimori who, as you pointed out, holds Japanese citizenship, we are now trying to find out basic facts about his situation in Santiago. After we know enough about the situation, we will have to decide which measures we will take as appropriate.
Q: So you have not yet reached a decision as to which measures you will take?
Mr. Chiba: No, we have not reached any decision.
Q: There is a rumor that a Japanese journalist was aboard Mr. Fujimori’s plane. Can you confirm this? If yes, do you have any idea why or what was the purpose of the Japanese journalist?
Mr. Chiba: We have no idea who was on the plane Mr. Fujimori was aboard.
Q: Is it possible for a Japanese citizen to have dual citizenships, for example, to be both a Japanese and Peruvian citizen at the same time?
Mr. Chiba: Legally speaking it is possible for one individual to have dual or maybe triple citizenships. Japanese domestic law requests these citizens to decide which nationality they would like to have but it is up to the individual to decide.
Q: So it is possible to have dual citizenships?
Mr. Chiba: It is a fact that some individuals do have dual citizenships in Japan. For example if an individual is born in a country like the United States of America (US), this individual is Japanese if this person has Japanese parents, and is a US citizen at the same time. This is a fact that is known.
Q: However Mr. Fujimori got a Peruvian passport one month ago so he had enough time to give up his Japanese citizenship. There were no approaches from the Japanese side for Mr. Fujimori to give up his Japanese citizenship?
Mr. Chiba: As to which citizenship he will choose, this is a private matter for Mr. Fujimori. The Government is in no position to comment on this.
Q: What passport was he holding when he left Japan?
Mr. Chiba: Again, this is a matter concerning his privacy and we would like to refrain from commenting on it.
Q: Did Japanese Embassy officials contact Mr. Fujimori recently?
Mr. Chiba: Not that I know of. We are still trying to find out from Chilean authorities as to the situation of Mr. Fujimori.
Q: Are they planning to?
Mr. Chiba: As I said earlier, after we get enough information about his situation we will decide what to do as appropriate.