TATu hit low note with Japanese

TATu, the controversial Russian pop duo, disappointed Japanese fans by cancelling a concert, walking off a live TV show and yawning their way through a news conference.

The 18-year-olds had been due to shoot a video, appear on a popular music programme and play live in front of about 1,000 fans during a brief visit that ended today.

But they cancelled Saturday’s concert at the last minute, and walked off the set of the live TV show after complaining that they had to share airtime with other Japanese performers.

They later appeared at a press conference to explain why they had walked out, but said they had nothing to apologise for, yawned and played with their mobile phones, prompting angry headlines in the newspapers.

The girls still found time yesterday to sing karaoke and to go shopping in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district, drawing a crowd of fans everywhere they went.