Charity begins in the shops for Paris Hilton

Would-be charity worker Paris Hilton may have put her planned mercy trip to troubled African state Rwanda on hold, but today she found time for a shopping trip to Japan.

Hilton and her younger sister Nicky helped judge a beauty contest in Tokyo by each choosing a finalist for the Miss Universe Japan contest.

The heiress declared: “I love Tokyo. The shopping is great.”

Hilton has promised to improve her airhead bad-girl image since being jailed earlier this year for breaking probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

She had announced plans to do charity work in Rwanda this month for the Playing for Good Foundation, but later decided to postpone the trip.

Her appearance at a Tokyo fashion boutique to judge the contest packed the room with photographers and TV cameras.