Regarding the series of wide-area robberies that have occurred one after another in the country, the Philippine justice minister said about the four Japanese detained in the immigration facility, "I am confident that we will be able to hand over all of them within the target date." He emphasized that he is continuing to make final arrangements so that the delivery can be completed before President Marcos's visit to Japan next week.
In connection with the series of wide-area robberies, the Japanese police authorities handed over four suspects, including Yuki Watanabe and Masato Imamura, who have arrest warrants for being involved in other special fraud cases. On January 30, we made a formal request to the Philippine side.
Regarding this, the Philippine Justice Minister Lemuria said on February 1 that he called the person in charge at the local Japanese embassy and confirmed the policy to hand over the four people detained in the immigration facility at the same time.
Although he said he could not provide a specific delivery schedule, he said, "I am confident that we can hand over all of them within the target date." I emphasized that we are continuing to make final adjustments so that it can be handed over to.
Three of the four, however, are in court proceedings in separate cases in the Philippines, and the Philippine Department of Justice has said they cannot be extradited unless the proceedings are dismissed.
Regarding this procedure, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said that a total of three trials will be held on the 2nd and 3rd, and the focus is on what kind of judgment the court will show.
Search immigration facilities on January 31
This is a video of the Philippine National Police and Immigration Bureau searching the immigration facility where four Japanese suspects are being held on January 31st.
Acquired by NHK.
According to the National Police and others, the search began around 2:00 am on the 31st, and in the video, you can see how multiple investigators enter the facility while it is still dark.
The inside of the facility is partitioned by a lattice, and the clothes that seem to belong to the inmates are hung, and the appearance of cooking utensils such as pots being placed casually is shown.
In addition, it can be seen that the investigators are checking their belongings while interviewing foreigners who are believed to be detainees, as well as checking mobile phones that are believed to have been seized.
According to the official announcement, the search found and seized from the inmate's belongings a mobile phone, a laptop computer, an Internet router, and cash worth 500,000 pesos, which is about 1.2 million yen.
In response to a series of wide-area robberies, the Philippine authorities are suspecting that officials at immigration facilities received bribes from inmates and allowed them to freely use mobile phones, etc., whose use is restricted, and strengthened measures. doing.
Suspect Watanabe's high school junior "Why has it changed so much?"
A man in his 30s who lives in Hokkaido and is a junior in high school for Watanabe said, "When I was in high school, I was doing kendo hard, and I was a good senior who talked to my juniors without discrimination. After graduating from high school. When I returned to my hometown, there were rumors in my hometown that I was making money by doing bad things.It was reported that I went to the Philippines and deceived people. I was talking.
A man living in Betsukai-cho, Hokkaido, whose son was a high school classmate, said, "Until I graduated from high school, I was a kendo student who was well received by everyone. After I graduated and went to Sapporo, I was arrested by the police. I started hearing that I was doing bad things with people who were like that. I was.