Bureau of Immigration deports Japanese 'fake passport king'

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported Thursday a Japanese national wanted in his own country for allegedly faking passports and for being a ranking member of the Yakuza gang.

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said Tsuyoshi Yuki, 44, was arrested by BI agents last June 23 in Daet, Camarines Norte after the bureau received a report from the Japanese embassy that the suspect has a standing warrant of arrest issued by the Tokyo Summary Court.

In his report to Libanan, BI deportation unit head Antonio Rivera said Yuki was wanted for violating the Japanese passport law by manufacturing, selling and distributing fake passport to his countrymen “who are also fugitives from justice.”

“We received reports from Japanese police who escorted the suspect that aside from being a ‘fake passport king in Japan,’ Yuki is also a ranking official of the dreaded Yakuza gang that is using the country as their base of operation,” said Rivera, who is also the deputy chief for operations of the BI-Interpol unit.

Libanan said Yuki was placed in the immigration blacklist and banned from re-entering the country.

The BI said that based on records, Yuki entered the country as visitor in April 2008 and was allowed to stay temporarily until June of the same year.

“However, Yuki never bothered to renew his tourist visa, thus he was declared as an overstaying alien,” the BI said. – Helen Flores