The news is a buzz about how the "loveable" seal Tama-Chan (looks like a big sea rat to me) has been granted residence status. This pisses off a lot of foreigners who have lived in Japan for many years and are still not granted this status.
But the real news here is that JapanToday conducted a poll about people's feelings on this issue, and contrary to the repeated precedent of interviewing stupid people, the folks they polled all offered relatively cogently-reasoned, well articulated answers. Let's contrast.

Asako Shinohara, 22, regarding Tama Chan's residency: If Japan can give a resident registry card to an animal, we should give it to a real human being because that way we can get taxes from them and they will be more meaningful to society. Japan is too hard on all foreigners in many ways when it comes to renting apartments and granting residential status. Also, they should be able to vote and let their voices be heard by the government. Their different views could be very beneficial and stimulating to the stalled economy. Japan must give foreigners more opportunities.

Now let's hear from another poll, Shohei Shimizu, 66, on the definition of cheating: Even though I cheated on my wife many times, sometimes with 20-year-old girls as well as women in their 40s and 50s, I don't feel guilty at all, nor am I scared of divorce. If I were, I wouldn't be able to cheat on her. Cheating is a source of energy for me. My wife once called me the No. 1 professional pervert in Japan. I am so glad to have that title.

Perhaps most revealing of JapanToday's normal candidate selection is what Ryusuke Tomita, 19, has to say about Human Cloning: It would be very convenient to have another one of me.

I can't account for JapanToday's sudden reversal of poll methodology. This poll was done in Omotesando avenue, and that area has a lot of good bars, intoxication of the JapanToday reporters is the only theory my intuition offers.
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