Michael Jackson in Japan, plans public appearance

TOKYO, May 26 (Reuters) Michael Jackson arrived in Japan today to appear at his first public event since his acquittal on sex-abuse charges last June, his local agent in Japan said.

Jackson plans to attend an award ceremony in central Tokyo on Saturday and an orphanage on Sunday, said Broderick Morris, Jackson's local agent in Japan.

The 47-year-old singer, one of the top-selling recording acts of all time, now lives in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

He was acquitted by a jury last June of all charges stemming from accusations made by a teenage boy that he had been molested by Jackson at his Neverland Valley Ranch in central California.

But his career as an entertainer and recording artist has been left in shambles.

REUTERS SHR BST1818