Michael Jackson visits orphanage in Tokyo
Michael Jackson visited an orphanage in Tokyo today in one of the pop star’s first public appearances since his acquittal last June on child molestation charges in the US.
After weaving through dozens of screaming adult fans who waited outside the orphanage in downtown Tokyo, Jackson was ushered into a gymnasium where more than 160 children aged from 3 years to 18 years and nuns in grey uniforms anxiously waited for the celebrity visit.
“I love you,” Jackson told the cheering crowd. He then called out “Aishiteru!” (I love you), after conferring with his translator.
Jackson’s publicists said the pop icon also planned to tour Tokyo and meet with members of the Asian business community during his six-day visit through to Wednesday.
Jackson came to Tokyo to accept a Japan MTV video music award in a ceremony on Saturday night. He will later visit Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Jackson’s visits to Tokyo was announced only days before his arrival late on Friday and no other details of his trip have been released.
Jackson, 47, has been living in the Middle Eastern kingdom of Bahrain since he was acquitted last June on child molestation charges in California. He was arrested in 2003 after a teenage boy accused Jackson of molesting him at his Neverland Ranch.
