Fujimori's Wife Pleads Husband's Innocence
11/14/2007 10:46:00 AM
CHAN:
And in Peru, while former president Fujimori faces charges of corruption and human rights violations, some in Japan are still on his side. Fujimori ruled Peru for ten years until 2000. He is despised by some Peruvians, but praised with ending the Maoist Shining Path insurgency and stabilizing the economy. In case you’re wondering, he is Japanese, and now his wife has something to say.
STORY:
Fujimori’s wife is sure he’s innocent and says she’ll stand by him to the end.
[Satomi Kataoka, Fujimori’s Wife]:
"He is a man of unbelievably strong principles. He's kind and modest. He's so simple that he cannot be the kind of man who would hatch cunning plots. I think that's why a lot of low-income people in Peru support him and sympathize with him - because he does not cheat."
Polls show a quarter of Peruvians want Fujimori to run for office again.
Meanwhile, a group of Japanese lawmakers is appealing to Japan's Foreign Ministry and the Peruvian embassy in Tokyo to make sure that the former president gets a fair trial in Peru.
[Taku Yamasak, Japanese Parliament Member]:
"Japan is fighting against terrorism, and our Parliament has adopted a resolution to thank President Fujimori for having resolutely fought against terrorism. Wishing for his well-being is in line with Japan's anti-terrorism stance."
Fujimori is well-regarded in Japan for successfully resolving the 1997 hostage crisis at the Japanese embassy in Lima.
In July this year, Fujimori unsuccessfully ran for Japan's Upper House from Chile, where he was being detained before he was extradited to Peru.
