By Florenda Corpuz
TOKYO – Tom Cruise is headed back to Japan.
The Hollywood superstar will attend the Japan premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” on May 6, marking the first stop on the film’s global promotional tour. The visit coincides with Japan’s Golden Week holidays, a prime time for blockbuster buzz.
“Hello, Japan. I’m pleased to announce that we will see you all in May,” Cruise said in a video message to Japanese fans. “I am so looking forward to returning to the beautiful city of Tokyo to share ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ with you. So see you soon. Thank you.”
Tom Cruise attends the Japan premiere of “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” in Shinjuku, Tokyo on August 3, 2015. (Photos by Din Eugenio)
The premiere will also be attended by co-stars Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, Greg “Tarzan” Davis, and director Christopher McQuarrie.
This will be Cruise’s 25th visit to Japan and his first since promoting “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022.
To celebrate the kickoff, a nationwide light up event is set for April 21. Five iconic towers, including Tokyo Tower, Sapporo TV Tower, Chubu Electric Power Mirai Tower in Nagoya, Kobe Port Tower, and Fukuoka Tower, will be illuminated at the same time, creating what organizers are calling a “Mission whirlwind from Japan to the world.”
The “Final Reckoning” is the sequel to 2023’s “Dead Reckoning” and is being promoted as the final chapter in the long-running franchise. The film follows Ethan Hunt (Cruise) as he faces off against the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence threatening global destruction. However, neither Cruise nor McQuarrie has confirmed if this will be Hunt’s last mission.
