Beckham heads for Bangkok

Football idol David Beckham left behind weeping Japanese fans today as he and his wife Victoria boarded a plane bound for Bangkok, Thailand.

The departure lobby at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport – where hundreds had gathered to see the superstar couple off – erupted into shrieks as the casually dressed pair headed for their flight.

Beckham, 28, offered a few awkward waves and an embarrassed smile as former Spice Girl Victoria filmed the besotted fans – some of them dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs.

During his five-day stay in Japan, Beckham stopped traffic and drew crowds on to rooftops as he was shuttled around the capital to film television commercials, launch products and kick off of a safe driving campaign for various sponsors, including motor oil giant Castrol Oil.

It was not immediately clear where Beckham was scheduled to be today and tomorrow. The England captain is to travel to Malaysia and then Vietnam, before wrapping up his Asian promotional tour in Thailand.

Japanese media have reported that Beckham is raking in as much as 2 billion yen (€14.5m) for his tour of Asia.