Philippine Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla says there is a possibility that his government will extradite four Japanese men to Japan as early as Tuesday.

Japanese police suspect the four men are linked to a series of robberies in Japan that left one person dead. They are being held at an immigration facility in Metro Manila.

In an interview with NHK on Saturday, Remulla said that efforts are being made to deport the four men on Tuesday.

President Marcos Jr. is due to visit Japan from Wednesday for the first time since he took office. The Philippine government has expressed hope to deport the four men before the visit.

Japanese police obtained arrest warrants for Watanabe Yuki, Kojima Tomonobu, Fujita Toshiya, and Imamura Kiyoto on suspicion of fraud and other cases separate from the robberies. The police requested the Philippine side to extradite them to Japan.

Watanabe and Kojima were charged in Manila in unrelated cases. They cannot be extradited unless their charges are dismissed.

Court proceedings for them will be held on Monday, one day earlier than initially scheduled. The date was moved up in response to a request by prosecutors. The Philippine government plans to extradite them to Japan immediately if their charges are dismissed.

The other two, Fujita and Imamura, were also charged in separate cases. But their charges have already been dismissed, effectively clearing the way for their extradition.