Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori said he hopes to return to politics in Peru after losing his bid to win a seat in Japan's parliament, Peruvian media reported Tuesday.
The 69-year-old Fujimori, calling himself "The Last Samurai" in Japan's senatorial elections, admitted defeat Monday, saying his main focus now would be on fighting his extradition to Peru.
"My electoral goal has not been achieved," he said in a statement issued by his office in Lima.
Fujimori said he was awaiting the verdict of Chile's Supreme Court on his extradition to Peru, where he is sought on charges of human rights violations and corruption.
"My main goal at present is to continue to prove my innocence within the extradition process," he said. "Once the case is over, I hope I can re-engage with my political life and go back to working for the well-being of all Peruvians."
Although his election bid in Japan had failed, "today I reaffirm my will to work to strengthen relations between Peru and Japan," Fujimori added.
According to election results released by Japan, Fujimori won 51,430 votes, or 2.16 percent of the total. Although Japan's New Citizens' Party headed by Fujimori secured two seats, the former Peruvian leader lost the possibility of being elected senator in Japan's Upper House Diet.
Fujimori fled to Japan in 2000 after his government collapsed amid corruption scandals. The son of Japanese parents, he claimed Japanese citizenship on reaching the country, and the Japanese government has since ignored repeated extradition requests from Peru, where he faces 10 charges of corruption and two relating to human rights violations.
In November 2005, Fujimori arrived unexpectedly in Chile on a private flight from Japan. He is now being held under house arrest in the Chicureao neighborhood on the outskirts of Chile's capital Santiago.
The Peruvian government has accused Fujimori of bribery, misusing government funds and sanctioning 25 death squad killings during his 1990-2000 rule.
Chilean judge Orlando Alvarez on July 11 rejected the extradition request presented by the Peruvian government, saying Peruvian prosecutors had failed to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt Fujimori's involvement in death squads and corruption.
Following Alvarez's announcement, Peruvian authorities appealed to Chile's Supreme Court against the ruling.
(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2007)
