Philippines May Hand Over 2 of 4 Japanese Suspects First: Justice Minister

Manila, Feb. 2 (Jiji Press)--The Philippines may first hand over two of four Japanese detainees, including those believed to be the masterminds behind a string of robberies in Japan, the country's justice minister said Thursday.

The four men are currently held at an immigration facility in Manila. Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has obtained arrest warrants for the four over a special fraud case.

The same day, court hearings were held for two of the four, 38-year-old Yuki Watanabe and 45-year-old Tomonobu Kojima, who are charged in the Southeast Asian country.

Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla is believed to have suggested the possibility of the other two men being sent back to Japan first.

At Watanabe's hearing, a woman who filed assault charges against him appeared before the court in Pasay, Metro Manila, with the defendant attending online.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]