It’s been a long time coming for Godzilla, the giant, fire-breathing atomic lizard monster created in the oceans of Japan, but he’s finally a Japanese citizen. Not only was the beloved city-smasher naturalized by the government, but he was named Tokyo’s Shinjuku-ward tourism ambassador.
Shinjuku is home to the busiest railway station in the world, skyscrapers, city hall and Toho cinemas, the company that makes Godzilla movies. The 61-year-old monster was born on April 9, 2015, the year the first Godzilla film from director Ishirō Honda. Since then, Toho has made 28 other Godzilla movies that sometimes saw the lizard defending humanity by fighting other monsters, and other times Godzilla had to be fought off by even more monsters and the militarized humans.
The Shinjuku ward office gave out Godzilla official residency papers to the first 3,000 fans who wanted official proof that Godzilla — with his giant head looking down over the neon Tokyo streets — was a Japanese citzen.
The text block reads:
Name: Godzilla
Address: Shinjuku-ku, Kabuki-cho, 1-19-1
Date of birth: April 9, 1954
Date of becoming a Shinjuku resident: April 9, 2015
Reason for special residency: Promoting the entertainment of and watching over the Kabuki-cho neighborhood and drawing visitors from around the globe in the form of the Godzilla head built atop the Shinjuku TOHO Building.
Previous visits to Shinjuku Ward: 3 times; Godzilla (1984), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah(1991), Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999)
The end part, as far as official documents go, is my favorite. Shinjuku mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi held a ceremony to appoint Godzilla tourism ambassador and in his speech suggested that any location Godzilla destroyed on screen would be “fortuitous” in real life.
Also, there was a ceremony. It was held where you should hold any induction ceremony, at the base of the building where there’s a giant version of the new ambassador’s head recently installed.
Godzilla got a sash from a bunch of men in suits who made him a citizen and an ambassador, and took this fantastic photo the world should never forget:
Godzilla, his sash, citizenship papers, ambassador plaque, and a bunch of guys who want to make money off him.
Godzilla is the new coolest ambassador ever appointed to a city, because he’s a giant monster that should be destroying that city.
New York’s ambassador, Taylor swift, hasn’t even knocked down a single building, ever.
