A Hollywood moment in Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had only one request when Richard Gere visited his office Tuesday: “Shall we dance?”

Gere, who is in Japan to promote his latest film, the Hollywood remake of the Japanese box-office hit “Shall We Dance,” accepted Koizumi’s invitation but insisted that he would lead.

It’s not the first time the media-savvy Koizumi has put on a performance with a Hollywood star. He and Tom Cruise sang a duet of Elvis Presley’s “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” when Cruise visited Japan to promote his movie “The Last Samurai.”