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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Report: Fujimori to run in Japan parliamentary election |
| 2007-06-28 |
| Disgraced ex-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has decided to run in the election for Japan's upper house of parliament in July, the country's NTV network reported Thursday on its Web site. "I have accepted the request by the People's New Party to be a proportional representation candidate," Fujimori was quoted as saying in an interview with NTV. "I want to make use of my 10-year experience as president to work for Japan and the world," NTV quoted him as saying. Japan's Kyodo News agency had a similar report, saying Fujimori was "likely" to run in the election. Kyodo did not specify where it got the information, but said Fujimori could make an announcement later Thursday. The reports could not be immediately confirmed in Japan. No one answered the phones at the People's New Party offices at the upper house shortly after the reports appeared early Thursday. Fujimori, 68, is under house arrest in Chile. Peru wants to try Fujimori on charges including bribery, misuse of government funds and sanctioning death squad killings during his decade-long rule, which ended in 2000. It was not immediately clear whether Fujimori would be eligible to register as a candidate. Kyodo reported that no regulations under Japan's Public Offices Election Law prohibit a candidate under house arrest overseas from running in an election in Japan. NTV said Fujimori listed his top policy objectives as Asian diplomacy, the effort to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program and the campaign to resolve the communist regime's abductions of Japanese citizens. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #2 Under Japan's constitution, could he end up as prime minister? If so, he could be one of a very few people in history (maybe even the first?)* to be head of state of two different countries. *Pu Yi was the last Emperor of China, then lost that job, then later was (figure)head of state of Manchuria (Manchuko). Manchuria was part of China when he was Emperor, so would that count? |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-06-28 16:20 |
| #1 Put him in charge of breaking embassy seiges. I remember he was pretty good at that. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-06-28 10:56 |