Celebrity sea lion Tama-chan is causing a flap yet again.
But this time it's not the hordes gathered on the concrete banks of his resting places in various Kanagawa rivers, but Japan's foreign population who are keenly following the big city adventures of the bearded sea lion.
On Friday, the Nishi Ward office of the Yokohama city government announced that Tama-chan is to be issued with a certificate of residence ("juminhyo") by the city.