By Megan Breckenridge, Staff Writer
SULLO & SULLO, LLP
SULLO & SULLO, LLP
HOUSTON—Stars
in the United States have long enjoyed our nation’s brand of "celebrity
justice", but overseas their status is often overlooked. Case in point:
The Japanese government’s recent refusal to allow Paris Hilton into the
country after pleading guilty to misdemeanor drug charges in Las Vegas.
Hilton
joined the ranks of such pop icons as Paul McCartney and the Rolling
Stones when she was delayed by immigration authorities at Narita
International Airport and officially denied entry into Japan. Her trip
came just two days after she plead guilty to drug possession and
obstructing an officer; and was sentenced to one year of probation, a
$2,000 fine, 200 hours of community service and completion of a
substance-abuse program. Japan has strict immigration laws that bar
entry to those convicted of drug offenses, although exceptions are
occasionally granted.
The
29-year-old celebrity socialite was supposed to promote her fashion and
fragrance lines at a news conference on the morning of Wednesday,
September 22, in Tokyo. She arrived Tuesday evening but was stopped at
the airport and spent the night at a hotel there after being questioned
by officials.
Tokyo
was the first stop on Hilton’s planned Asia tour, during which she was
to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and open a new retail store in Jakarta,
Indonesia. She was forced to cancel all of her appearances, which she
has said she will make up at a later date.
Hilton’s
trip was scheduled before her arrest last month in Las Vegas, when an
officer found a small amount of cocaine in her purse. She was given a
one-year suspended sentence, the terms of which stipulate that if she is
arrested for anything besides a minor traffic violation in Vegas within
the next year, she will have to serve a full year in prison. The
conditions did not, however, restrict her travel overseas.
Japan
has taken a hard line with famous figures in the past, including rock
legends, The Rolling Stones, who struggled for years to gain entry to
the country because of drug convictions among the group’s members.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney was also deported in January 1980, when he
was arrested at Narita airport for marijuana possession while touring
with his band, Wings.
Kazuo
Kashihara, an immigration official at Narita International Airport,
said if Hilton had applied for an entry permit in advance of her
arrival, there might have been a chance for Japan’s minister to consider
an exception in her case. Instead, "She just showed up the day after
[pleading guilty]," he said.
According
to a statement issued by Hilton’s publicist, Dawn Miller, "Paris is
very disappointed and fought hard to keep her business commitments and
see her fans, but she is forced to postpone her commitments in Asia.
Paris understands and respects the rules and laws of the immigration
authorities in Japan and fully wishes to cooperate with them."
