Philippines May Hand Over 2 of 4 Japanese Suspects Early Next Week

Manila, Feb. 3 (Jiji Press)--The Philippines plans to hand over to Japan early next week at least two of four Japanese detainees believed to be linked to a string of recent robberies in Japan, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said Friday.

He also hinted that all four may be extradited together.

Of the four, Kiyoto Imamura, 38, and Toshiya Fujita, 38, can be extradited currently, as criminal cases against them have been dismissed.

The other two, including Yuki Watanabe, 38, who is believed to be one of the "Luffy" ringleaders in the robberies, are facing criminal charges in the Philippines. Their next court hearings were originally set for Tuesday, but the date was suddenly pushed up to Monday.

Remulla said that talks on the handover will be held at the Department of Justice on Monday afternoon. Investigators from Japanese police are expected to arrive in the Southeast Asian nation during the weekend.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]