Peru's Fujimori Enters Election

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, living in self-exile in Japan, formally announced Thursday he will run for president in the upcoming Peruvian election, Kyodo News agency reported.

Fujimori was granted a Peruvian passport last month in a move that some observers considered the latest sign he was preparing to return to his homeland and run in the April political race.

Fujimori fled his homeland to Japan in November 2000 as his government crumbled amid a corruption scandal. Peru's Congress has since adopted a resolution banning him from holding public office until 2010, but Fujimori has pledged before to return and seek re-election in next year's presidential ballot despite the prohibition.

Peruvian prosecutors have also petitioned Japan to extradite Fujimori so he can face 22 criminal charges on allegations ranging from abuse of power and embezzlement to sanctioning a paramilitary death squad.

Fujimori, the son of Japanese immigrants, has been shielded from extradition by Japanese citizenship granted to him after his arrival. Tokyo has repeatedly said Japanese citizens can't be extradited under Japanese law.

Fujimori seized dictatorial power in April 1992 by sending tanks to shut down Peru's Congress and judiciary, a move he argued was necessary to fight leftist rebels and end economic chaos.

Under international pressure, he convoked a Constitutional assembly, creating the unicameral Congress and in November 1992 held new congressional elections. He was re-elected to a second term in a landslide victory three years later.

Under Peru's current one-term limit, present Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo cannot seek immediate re-election.