July 26, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of Peruvians are upset with the decision of former president Alberto Fujimori to run for public office in Japan, according to a poll by Apoyo published in El Comercio. 71 per cent of respondents disapprove of Fujimori, who is wanted by Peru's judiciary, wanting to become a lawmaker in the country where his parents were born.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of Peruvians are upset with the decision of former president Alberto Fujimori to run for public office in Japan, according to a poll by Apoyo published in El Comercio. 71 per cent of respondents disapprove of Fujimori, who is wanted by Peru's judiciary, wanting to become a lawmaker in the country where his parents were born.

Last month, Fujimori agreed to run as a candidate for the People's New Party (PNP) in the election to Japan's House of Councillors, scheduled for Jul. 29. 46 per cent of respondents think Fujimori will not win a seat in the ballot.

Fujimori administered the Peruvian government from 1990 to 2000. He left office after a series of corruption allegations and settled in Japan, where he lived in a self-imposed exile. In July 2003, the Peruvian government officially requested Fujimori's extradition, which was denied. In November 2005, Fujimori was detained in Chile on the basis of an international warrant.

On Jul. 11, Chilean Supreme Court judge Orlando Álvarez ruled against extraditing Fujimori back to Peru. The Peruvian government has filed an appeal to Álvarez's ruling.

The list of Fujimori's alleged offences includes misuse of public funds, kidnapping and murder. In the early 1990s, he launched a crackdown on armed groups. A government-backed paramilitary squad known as the Colina Group was involved in two separate operations, which left 25 people dead in 1991 and 1992.

Vladimiro Montesinos was Fujimori's closest advisor and the head of Peru's National Intelligence Service (SIN) during his decade-long tenure. To this day, Montesinos has been convicted in 13 different trials for crimes such as plotting against national security, arms dealing and embezzlement. He is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Peru and awaiting a verdict on other 50 or so processes against him.

Fujimori is highly regarded in Japan for his leadership during a 1997 crisis, which saw 72 people—including 24 Japanese citizens—freed by the Peruvian military after months of captivity in the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima. The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) was responsible for taking the hostages.

Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo, recently said in an interview: "If Fujimori has an image (in Japan), it's not as a human rights violator, but as the guy who rescued the hostages."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Alberto Fujimori's decision to become a candidate for Japan's upper house?

Approve	19%
Disapprove	71%
Not sure	10%

Do you think Fujimori will win a seat?

Yes	36%
No	46%
Not sure	18%

Source: Apoyo / El Comercio
Methodology: Interviews with 1,003 Peruvian adults, conducted on Jul. 18 and Jul. 19, 2007. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.