After the death of the former president Alberto Fujimoriafter a long battle against cancer, last Wednesday, September 11. In this article, we tell you who the women are who marked the life of the former president and played a fundamental role.
LOOK: Which former presidents expressed their condolences on the death of Alberto Fujimori?
Satomi Kataoka
Satomi Kataoka, a Japanese hotel entrepreneur, surprised many when she revealed in 2006 that she had married Alberto Fujimori.
According to her confession, the marriage was a strategy to provide her with protection in the midst of her extradition process. At that time, Fujimori was in Chile, having fled to Japan in 2000.
“Some friends advised me that if we got married, it would be easier to apply for protection from the Japanese government to avoid extradition,” Kataoka told Japanese newspaper Yukan Fuji.
Although the marriage was performed by proxy at Shinagawa City Hall in Japan, Kataoka never visited Fujimori in Peru, where he was extradited in 2007.
Susana Higuchi
Susana Higuchi, Fujimori’s ex-wife and mother of his four children, was also a central figure in his life. As first lady, she played a decisive role in the launch of her then-husband’s political career, financing his presidential campaign in 1990.
However, her relationship with Fujimori deteriorated dramatically. In 1994, Higuchi alleged that she had been tortured by her own husband after revealing a corruption scandal involving the president’s family. She also accused him of domestic violence, which led to the end of their marriage in 1995.
Susana Higuchi not only broke off her personal relationship with Fujimori, but also became one of his main opponents. She was a member of Congress in the ranks of the Independent Moralizing Front, from where she openly criticized her ex-husband’s regime.
This anti-Fujimori stance caused a deep division in the family, especially with his daughter Keiko Fujimori, who remained loyal to her father.
However, in recent years, mother and daughter have reconciled. Higuchi supported two of Keiko’s presidential campaigns, in 2016 and 2021.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO