Philippine Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla says two of the four Japanese detainees, who are believed to be linked to a series of robberies in Japan, could be repatriated by the end of this week.

The four suspects are currently being held at an immigration facility in the Philippines.

Japanese police officials have served them with arrest warrants, as they believe the men were previously involved in phone scams in Japan. They asked the authorities in the Philippines to hand them over.

Remulla told reporters on Tuesday that, if all goes well, two of the suspects could be returned to Japan by this weekend. He added that one of the two could be sent back within the next day or two, if certain conditions are met.

Remulla explained that the remaining two suspects are currently on trial in the Philippines. He said the Justice Ministry is studying the cases and trying to determine how quickly they can be sent back to Japan.

Remulla admitted that members of a criminal organization appear to have been operating in the detention facility. He said the mobile phones of all four suspects have been confiscated and will be given to Japanese police officials. He noted that one suspect owned six phones.