DFA: Pinay not accused of Tokyo murders

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday clarified that a Filipina detained in Japan was yet to be identified as a suspect in the killing of two Japanese nationals in Tokyo.

In a public briefing, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said the 30-year-old Filipino woman, identified as Hazel Ann Morales, had not yet been charged with murder contrary to earlier reports.

“First of all, let me clarify that she is not accused of killing them. The accusation against her is, under Japanese law, called abandonment,” De Vega said.

“Based on CCTV footage, she was allegedly seen at the scene of the crime where the Japanese couple was killed and where their bloody clothes were disposed of,” he said.

He continued: “That is why she is under investigation. Let us not conclude that she is being accused of murder. We are not yet in that situation.”

Citing Japanese law, De Vega said abandonment is punishable by up to three years imprisonment.

Morales, a permanent resident of Japan, was arrested for abandoning the bodies of Norihiro Takahashi, 55, and his wife Kimie, 52.

De Vega said the Japanese government has allowed the consular staff of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to visit Morales in prison.

“Finally, the Japanese government allowed consular access. She will be visited by our consulate in her place of detention,” he said.

He said the Philippine government is ready to provide legal assistance to Morales, who has denied her involvement in the killing of the Japanese couple.

“We are ready to finance the legal assistance, although no formal complaints have been charged to her,” he said.