Paris Hilton delayed from entering Japan

The Associated Press, Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 8:34am (PDT)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Japanese officials delayed Paris Hilton at Narita Airport while they decide whether she will be admitted to the country after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge in Las Vegas.

An e-mailed statement by Hilton's rep, Dawn Miller, said the 29-year-old was stopped by immigration authorities upon her arrival Tuesday in Japan.

Hilton was scheduled to appear at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday to promote her fashion line, but that appearance was apparently canceled.

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Narita Airport's immigration office questioned Hilton "for hours" to determine if she should be allowed to enter the country, the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau said, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.

Authorities adjourned questioning and asked Hilton to stay at a hotel in the airport so they could continue immigration procedures Wednesday, Kyodo reported. There was no answer at the immigration office early Wednesday morning.

Under Japanese law, immigration authorities are empowered to deny entry to those who have been convicted of drug-related offenses.

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Miller's statement said Hilton was disappointed with the scrutiny.

"Paris was contractually bound to her business trip and didn't want to let down her brands and many Asian fans," the statement said. "She intended on fulfilling her contract and is trying hard to do the responsible thing, but this is beyond her control. She is very disappointed by tonight's events."

It was unclear whether Hilton will continue with her promotional tour. She was scheduled to visit several other countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia.

The trip had been planned before Hilton's arrest last month in Las Vegas after an officer found a small amount of cocaine in her purse. She pleaded guilty Monday to drug possession and obstructing an officer and was placed on informal probation for one year.

The terms of her sentence did not restrict travel overseas.

"We have no legal basis to restrict her from traveling throughout the United States or throughout the world," Clark County District Attorney David Roger said.

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