March 09, 2007	Friday	Safar 19, 1428

TOKYO: A tired-looking Michael Jackson dispensed hugs and handshakes on Thursday to Japanese fans, who spent thousands of dollars and an hour in the cold for a few seconds with the reclusive former King of Pop.

Jackson showed up late for a party in Tokyo where several hundred fans paid $3,400 a ticket for an exclusive dinner and a snapshot with the music legend.

Wearing dark sunglasses and a black suit with glitter, Jackson took each fan into a private cubicle for a brief photo shoot, a dinner guest said.

But Jackson did not perform and sat away from the fans during a show that featured gospel singers and dancers.

“He was giving out hugs and handshakes and he was very gentle with me. It was very nice,” Sumi Yoshimi, in high heels and an elegant white coat, said as she clutched a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne outside the venue.

“But he didn’t have anything particular to say and by the end he looked very tired, so we left,” she said.

The 36-year-old office worker said her date, an older man, invited her to the dinner, which included a buffet of gratin and other Western food. But she did not think the price tag was excessive.—AFP