Peruvian president pledges efforts to improve ties with Japan

Peru's newly inaugurated President Alan Garcia on Saturday said he would make efforts to improve his country's relations with Japan, which turned sour after Tokyo gave shelter to former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

"From this moment on, Peru and Japan will once again be complete friends," Garcia said in a statement after a meeting with Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Akiko Yamanaka.

Fujimori fled to Japan in 2000 after his rule collapsed amid corruption charges. The Japanese government refused to extradite him despite Peru's repeated requests, saying he had Japanese citizenship. Fujimori was born in Peru to Japanese immigrants.

Fujimori was arrested upon his arrival in Chile last November after the Peruvian government demanded his extradition. He is currently fighting extradition to Peru.

Source: Xinhua