Japan said today a vote by Peru's Congress to charge ex-president Mr Alberto Fujimori over two massacres by an army death squad would not change Tokyo's stance against handing him over.
Peru's Congress voted 75 to zero yesterday to back a congressional investigation charging Mr Fujimori knew about the 1991 murder of 15 party-goers in Lima and the 1992 killing of nine university students and a professor.
Peru's government said the move, which paves the way for criminal proceedings to begin, would boost the chances of forcing his return from Japan to stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
But a Japanese foreign ministry official said the Congressional vote supporting the most serious charges to date against the ex-president would not affect Japan's stance.
Japan has repeatedly said it could not extradite Mr Fujimori because he is protected by his dual Japanese and Peruvian nationality.
"If there is a request for co-operation in investigation we will respond according to relevant Japanese laws," the official said.
As a general rule, Mr Fujimori could not be extradited under Japanese law because he is a Japanese citizen, and there is no extradition treaty between the two countries, he said.
Mr Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990-2000, fled to Tokyo last November amid a corruption scandal.