BREAKING NEWS–Johnny Depp arrives in Japan for PUBLIC ENEMIES premiere–new photos!

That’s Johnny Depp arriving at Narita Airport near Tokyo for the (long-delayed) Japanese premiere of Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, in which Johnny plays bank robber and media sensation John Dillinger. Reuters reports that “over a thousand screaming fans” greeted Johnny at the airport, and that he “shook hands with, took pictures and signed autographs” for the crowd. According to Reuters, “Many fans had waited for hours at the airport and broke down in tears when he walked over to greet them in person.”

Johnny has not visited Japan since the premiere of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in January 2008. One university student, who waited 28 hours to see Johnny, told Reuters, “Johnny decided to come to Japan at the very last minute so I cancelled everything, even my job interviews, because I know I’ll regret if I didn’t get to see him!”

To see a larger version of the portrait of Johnny, CLICK HERE, and to see a photo of Johnny greeting the crowd at Narita Airport, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Emma, AnaMaria, GAO and Charlotte Depp for news updates and photos. You can read more about Johnny’s visit to Japan on the Zone’s News & Views forum; he will hold a press conference today and attend the premiere tomorrow. –Part-Time Poet