The Peruvian government withdrew its ambassador from Tokyo on Thursday and summoned Japan's ambassador to Lima to hear Peru's discontent with the Asian country's attitude to its ex-president, Alberto Fujimori, local media reported on Thursday.
Peruvian Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua summoned Hitojiro Ishida, Japan's ambassador to Peru, to express his "unhappiness" at Japan's refusal to respond to two extradition requests for Fujimori, issued in 2003, the report said.
Fujimori is wanted on 21 separate charges ranging from kidnapping to torture and murder of political opponents. He had been in exile in Japan since fleeing Peru in 2000 after his 10-year presidency collapsed amid corruption charges.
Peru's Foreign Ministry also ordered the return of the Peruvian ambassador to Japan, Luis Machiavello, saying Japan was not qualified to intervene in the case of Fujimori, who made a surprise trip to Chile on Sunday.
The Chilean government arrested Fujimori and is now processing an extradition request by Peru.
"Alberto Fujimori chose Peruvian nationality of his own free will, so the Japanese government is not qualified to intervene in the extradition process which Peru has requested from the Chilean authorities," Maurtua said.
Fujimori, born in Peru to Japanese immigrants, described himself as a Peruvian citizen on his immigration form on Sunday, while claiming Japanese citizenship when fleeing to Tokyo.
Fujimori said he had come to Chile planning to return to Peru and take part in the 2006 presidential elections.
(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2005)
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