The reptilian antihero gets civic papers granting special residency for watching over the people of Tokyo (and boosting tourism)

While he might have caused untold death and destruction, in between doing the odd bit of charity work, Godzilla has been heralded by Japanese authorities as a hero and given citizenship as a reward.

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The giant lizard has been granted a special residency by Tokyo civic leaders, according to Rocket News 24. Their exact reasoning reads as follows: “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.”

The head in question is a recent development in the city, looking over the Toho Cinemas Kabukicho/Hotel Gracery Shinjuku entertainment complex in Tokyo.

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There have been 3,000 copies of the above residency papers printed out, which will be given to eager fans in the city. During a special ceremony Shinjuku ward mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi called Godzilla “a character that is the pride of Japan”.

Last year saw the King of the Monsters star in his most commercially successful film so far in the Gareth Edwards-directed Godzilla, which made $528m worldwide. A sequel has been scheduled for June 2018.

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