Crime Mar. 24, 2008 - 11:43AM JST ( 1 )

The alleged gunman in the killing of a 45-year-old Japanese man in the northern Philippines earlier this month has been arrested, a police report said Monday. The report said Lauro Javier was arrested Sunday at his home on the outskirts of Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija Province, about 120 kilometers north of Manila.
   
Police said a witness identified Javier, 36, as the man who shot Junichi Ito, of Hyogo Prefecture, on March 5 during a botched robbery on the outskirts of the city. Ito died instantly after being shot in the face, according to the police. Ito, his Filipino wife and his mother-in-law were heading home from a swimming excursion when the robbery attempt took place on a highway. He was shot when he resisted attempts by the robbers to take his belt bag.