Thank you, very much. Hello, konnichiwa. [screaming] There’s so many Michael Jackson fans in Japan. They are so looking forward to see this film. Would you give them a message? Oh, absolutely. The To the fans in Japan, I love you so much and I’ve definitely felt and and heard and see the energy and and love you have for my uncle Michael and it means the most to me.
And I cannot wait for you to see this movie and to feel that magic, that Michael magic. When the lights came up at the Japan premiere of Michael, something unexpected happened. The crowd didn’t greet Jaafar Jackson with cautious curiosity. They shouted Michael. Hands shot into the air holding faded albums, decades-old photographs, and white gloves instead of movie posters.
Hello, konnichiwa. It’s amazing to be here. Uh I know Michael had so much love for Japan. It is my first time here. So, it’s such an incredible experience and I I can’t wait for the film to open up here. I just want to thank Fans leaned over the barriers calling his name as he walked by. The screams captured in videos sounded strikingly familiar to anyone who remembered another arrival many years before.
It was a reaction rooted in history. In 1987, when Michael Jackson landed at Narita Airport for the Bad Tour, thousands of fans packed the terminal. Television cameras caught people crying before they even saw him. Banners reading welcome Michael rose above the crowd as security struggled to keep pathways open.
When his car finally pulled away, fans ran alongside it hoping for one last glimpse. The scenes repeated during later visits. Children sat on their parents’ shoulders waving handmade signs. Office workers skipped work to wait outside hotels. Some people spent the night on sidewalks just to catch a wave from a balcony.
Nearly four decades later, echoes of those moments returned. As Jaafar stepped onto the red carpet, cheers rolled across the crowd before he had spoken a single word. We love you, Michael. Welcome to Japan. He didn’t rush past. He stopped again and again signing autographs, accepting gifts, posing for photographs, and meeting fans face-to-face.
Every pause only made the cheers louder. One elderly woman held a framed picture of Michael that looked older than many people standing nearby. When Jaafar reached her, she pressed it against her chest for a moment before handing him something else to sign. There’s so many Michael Jackson fans in Japan.
They’re so looking forward to see this film. Would you give them a message? Oh, absolutely. The to the fans in Japan, I love you so much and I’ve definitely felt and and heard and see the energy and and love you have for my uncle Michael and it means the most to me. And I cannot wait for you to see this movie and to feel that magic, that Michael magic.
Thank you so much. Congratulations. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. A few steps away, younger fans who had never seen Michael in person wiped away tears while recording on their phones. Online, people struggled to explain what they had just watched. For a second, I forgot it wasn’t Michael.
His smile brought back so many memories. Japan still loves Michael the same way. Many pointed not to dramatic moments, but to quiet ones. The pause before greeting someone. The soft smile, the gentle wave, the way Jaafar leaned in to make eye contact instead of hurrying to the next person.
For long-time fans, those small gestures awakened memories of Michael patiently acknowledging people one by one. Some remembered standing outside stadiums in 1987, hearing thousands sing before the show had even begun. Some remembered television broadcasts of fans bursting into tears because Michael waved from a hotel balcony.
[laughter] Some remembered introducing his music to their own children. Now, they stood together again. Grandparents held grandchildren by the hand. Parents lifted [snorts] children onto their shoulders. Beside brand new tickets for a film premiere, were vinyl records carried carefully through nearly 40 years.
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As Ja’far smiled and thanked the crowd, voices once again rose above the noise. Michael. No one believed they were looking at Michael Jackson himself. They knew exactly who stood before them. But for a few brief moments, standing behind those barriers with old photographs in their hands and old memories in their hearts, they found themselves reliving something they thought had been lost forever.
Uh we joke today. We joke today. It’s surprising. [laughter] Yeah, I’m very happy to be in Japan and I think you’re just wonderful, lovely people. I mean it. What did you say? I love you. I love you. Take. Give it to Give it to Give it to Michael. Mark.
I love you, Michael. you, too. Mike. [laughter] Michael. I love you, Michael. you, too. I can’t believe Michael Oh my god. I like I like I love you. I love you, too. Thank you for accepting me. Really.
