Film

Rising star: Tom Cruise has been given his own day on Japan's calendar

Cruise has his day in the Rising Sun

Metro 10 Oct 2006

He may be looking for a new film deal after being dumped by studio Paramount, but Tom Cruise can rest easy in the knowledge that he is still big in Japan.

The Top Gun actor, 44, has been given his own day on the country's calendar in recognition of his efforts in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Japan Memorial Day Association, which has designated October 6 Tom Cruise Day, said the star's close association with and love for the country was behind the move.

Cruise, whose 2003 blockbuster The Last Samurai took almost twice as much in Japan as it did in the US, has long been popular in the Far East.

Earlier this year he posed for pictures with 100 lucky fans on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo while promoting Mission: Impossible III.

During the trip he said he wanted to shoot the next instalment of the action series in Japan.