A Philippine immigration official has told NHK that two Japanese nationals being held at an immigration facility in the country have confined themselves to their cell. The inmates have apparently been shaken by news reports concerning a recent series of robberies in Japan.

Japanese police officials suspect that Watanabe Yuki and Imamura Kiyoto used the alias "Luffy" to issue instructions to the group that has been carrying out the robberies. The officials have asked the Philippine authorities to hand over the suspects.

NHK interviewed the Philippine official on Saturday. He said the suspects now live in a ten-person cell along with other Japanese nationals. He added that the men were often seen speaking on cell phones, while they exercised in the facility's courtyard.
The official said a colleague at the facility reported that the inmates looked upset when news reports about the robberies surfaced. The colleague also reportedly stated that the men had recently stopped going outside to engage in daily exercise.

The Philippine government says it instructed the center to confiscate cell phones and other means of communication from the suspects, after the reports surfaced. It says it plans to make a decision about whether to hand over the individuals, after it carefully assesses the criminal charges that the men face in the Philippines.