Alberto Fujimori: Arrested in Chile, Running in Japan, Dreaming of Peru · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru now under house arrest in Chile, has surprised everyone with the announcement that he will run for the Senate in his motherland, Japan. Despite his future being in the hands of the Chilean Supreme Court, where he facing charges of corruption and human rights abuses, and while simultaneously holding out hopes of eventually returning to Peru to reclaim the presidency there, Fujimori has accepted an offer from the small People's New Party to run for a seat in the Upper House of the Japanese National Diet. Authorities in Peru and Chile, where he was intercepted in 2005, have said that the election in Japan will not affect any possible extradition order issued by the Chilean court.
Blogger I, Shingen expresses disbelief at the decision, writing that “It's like they don't even know him“:
We are all aware of the supposed crookedness of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, as well as the close ties he’s kept to his ethnic homeland, particularly as a means of staying away from Peruvian law. However, I did not think that a Japanese political party would be THIS foolish:
[…]
If Fujimori declares his candidacy, it is believed he will be the first former leader of a country other than Japan to run in a Japanese national election. PNP acting leader Shizuka Kamei, himself a senior Japanese politician, and Fujimori have known each other for a long time, and an aide to Kamei was sent to Santiago on Monday to visit Fujimori to make the election offer, the sources said. Kamei is believed to admire Fujimori’s political skills, seen in such accomplishments during his 10-year rule of Peru beginning in 1990 as resolving territorial disputes with Ecuador and rebuilding the Peruvian economy.
As one commenter at Japan Today wrote: “So even mass murderers are better than the LDP these days…”
Farty (that was his username, I kid you not) has a point. How can any political party think about calling up someone who is wanted for political corruption and extralegality in his previous constituency? While Kokumin Shintou (People’s New Party) are hardly a challenge for the LDP, that is really not the point. This is like (although to a lesser degree) David Cameron asking Augusto Pinochet to run for a constituency in the next general election…
I never cease to be astounded by Japanese politics. This is one example of why.
Japanese bloggers were near unanimous in their reactions to the former Peruvian president's plans. Blogger hikakun18 explains:
アルベルト・フジモリはペルー大統領として様々な犯罪行為を重ねてきた。２００３年に国際刑事警察機構（ＩＣＰＯ）は、日本滞在中の彼に対して国際逮捕手配書を発行した。その容疑は暴行、文書偽造、誘拐、人質行為、殺人、そして組織犯罪である。つまり彼は国際的に認知されたとんでもない犯罪者なのだ。その彼が「大統領時代の経験を生かし、私の両親のふるさと日本に恩返しをしたい」と嘯いている。
アルベルト・フジモリのように、危険で胡散臭く、独裁主義的で汚い人物が、事もあろうに日本で「国会議員」になろうとしているんだってさ。
このオヤジがペルーで滅茶苦茶やっていたのは周知の事実。日本国籍があるというだけでフジモリを贔屓にするのは間違っている。
日本大使公邸人質事件の時に、トゥパク・アマルの少年兵たちを殺した事件を忘れてはいけない。事実、その時に投降した犯人の射殺事件まで含めた「殺人罪」で起訴されているわけだしね。その他にも、汚職とか職権乱用、選挙違反、弾圧など、容疑を数えたらきりがないほど「ほぼ真っ黒」な人物をかくまう理由が私にはわからない。
We must not forget the incident in which he killed child soldiers of the Tupac Amaru in the occupation of the Japanese Ambassador's residence. In fact, he has been charged for murders, including the shootings of those who surrendered. On top of that, there was corruption and abuses of power, election fraud, oppression and so on. I really don't understand the reason for harbouring an “almost dark” person, who has an endless list of criminal charges.
Other bloggers point out the double-standard that the Japanese government has applied to Fujimori, who — unlike everyone else [Ja] — is allowed to hold dual (Japanese/Peruvian) citizenship. Blogger Megurie reacts with anger to this double-standard, concluding that Fujimori should not be allowed to run:
日本政府はフジモリ氏が日本国籍を保有していることを認めているらしいか、とんでもない話だ。日本人の男性との間に子どもを生んだ外国人女性やその子どもに対して、絶望的な扱いをし、国籍を認めていない日本政府が、絶対に日本国籍をもつ必然性のない人物に国籍保有を認めるなどということが、いかにおかしなことか。
国籍法では、外国籍をもっている人は、国籍を選択をしなければならないと規定している。そして、二重国籍状態にある人で、外国籍を選択した人は、日本国籍を失うことになっている。フジモリ氏はペルーの大統領であり、日本に住んだことなどまったくない人物であった。（前回の「亡命」のときまで。）戦前ペルーで出生児に親が日本国籍の留保をしたというだけのことであって、通常ニ重国籍を禁じている国際私法の規定や、日本の国籍法の規定からみて、フジモリ氏に日本国籍を認めることなどあってはならないことなのである。
したがって、フジモリ氏の立候補などは認めてはならないことだろう。
Therefore, Mr. Fujimori's candidacy must not be allowed.