The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said there were no verified reports of hate crimes committed against Filipinos living in Japan amid the investigation of two Filipinos over the killing of a Japanese couple in Tokyo.

“No hate crimes reported so far,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega told Daily Tribune in a text message and later on its digital show Usapang OFW.

De Vega was responding to a question about whether the Philippine Embassy in Japan had received reports of acts of discrimination committed against Filipinos in Japan following the arrest of Hazel Morales and Bryan Jefferson dela Cruz.

Morales and Dela Cruz were arrested for allegedly abandoning the bodies of Norihiro Takahashi, 55, who was self-employed, and his wife, Kimie, 52, in the couple’s house on 16 January.

Several videos of Filipinos in Japan gained traction on social media, detailing their experiences of discrimination as a result of the Japanese couple’s deaths which was linked to the two Filipinos.

De Vega said it was “expected” that some would make such claims.

“It is to be expected that some will say that. But that shows how we should not fan the flames,” he said.

Earlier, he clarified that Morales, despite being detained, had not been named a suspect in the killing of the Japanese couple.

“Based on the 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 added.

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.

On Wednesday, he said that consular staff of the Philippine Embassy were able to visit Morales in her detention cell.

Morales, a permanent resident of Japan, is in good condition, he added.