The Residency Conundrum

Now, Japan has fairly strict residency and citizenship laws - in fact the culling process for even temporary residents is a bureaucratic ordeal meant to wrench the wheat from the chaff (so how the hell did we get in???).

However, it seems that the principal commandment for securing permanent residency; "thou shalt not live in Japan for less than ten years" has been waived. For a seal. The Japanese will argue that Tama-chan is "not just any seal" but in a country where Hello Kitty is still legally a british citizen, even this is strange...