The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported two Japanese fugitives to Tokyo on 29 July, turning them over to Japanese authorities to face criminal charges.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the deportees as Takeuchi Kazuo, 57, and Nishiwaki Yutaka, 44, who departed aboard separate Japan Airlines flights.

Viado said the deportations reflect the strong cooperation between the Philippines and Japan in combating transnational crime.

"Our close cooperation with Japanese law enforcement authorities has been instrumental in ensuring that fugitives cannot use the Philippines as a sanctuary from justice," Viado said.

"Through timely intelligence sharing and joint operations, we continue to strengthen our collective fight against transnational criminal organizations," he added.

Takeuchi was arrested by the BI's Fugitive Search Unit in July 2023 after Japanese authorities informed the bureau that he had fled to the Philippines to evade prosecution. He is wanted by the Sage Summary Court for robbery resulting in bodily injury and theft.

Nishiwaki was arrested by BI operatives in January during a joint operation with Japan's National Police Agency and the Philippine National Police.

He is wanted by the Tokyo Summary Court for theft after allegedly posing as a law enforcement officer to trick elderly victims into surrendering their ATM cards and banking information, allowing his group to withdraw funds illegally.

Japanese authorities also identified Nishiwaki as one of the remaining members of the notorious "Luffy" syndicate, a transnational criminal organization believed to have stolen more than ¥1 billion through theft, fraud and other illegal activities while operating from the Philippines.