Velvet Revolver refused Japan visas

Velvet Revolver have been forced to pull the plug on their upcoming Japanese tour after the Japanese government refused to issue them visas for previous drug convictions.

The band's promoter in the region, Creativeman Productions, issued the following statement: Velvet Revolver were looking forward to their upcoming tour of Japan: a series of four concerts to promote their current album Libertad between November 26 and November 30, encompassing the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama.

For the band, the upcoming trek was the opportunity to reconnect with their fans in Japan, where the band tour has toured before without incident back in 2005. But now it's a different story as Velvet Revolver 's request for visas has just been denied.

The increasingly tough Japanese immigration officials are taking exception with the backgrounds of various band members, which have included arrests. The band is appealing the decision of the officials which is ironic given that Libertad is Spanish for "liberty" and "freedom" but this process will unfortunately take months to sort out.