Fire-breathing, building-stomping Godzilla was welcomed to Tokyo on Thursday, but as a sign of prosperity rather than destruction. The violent radioactive monster was appointed special resident and tourism ambassador for Shinjuku ward, known for its bars and noodle restaurants.
A Godzilla-size head towering 52metres (171ft) above ground level was unveiled at an office of Toho, the Japanese film company which produced the original monster, in 1954. Toho is shooting a comeback film this year after a decade-long hiatus.
Godzilla’s standing as an icon has had its ups and downs, but its stature was reinstated with the Hollywood science fiction film directed by Gareth Edwards that became a global hit in 2014.
The biggest star in Japan’s movie history is now predicted to lure tourists; a market-opening strategy will be launched by the prime minister, Shinzō Abe.
At an awards ceremony, where the giant Godzilla head was present, an actor in a rubber suit waddled over to the Shinjuku mayor, Kenichi Yoshizumi. But a Toho executive had to accept the residency certificate for ambassador Godzilla – since the suit’s claws were not designed to grab anything.
The belief is that any place Godzilla ruined infilms would be sure to prosper in real life, Yoshizumi said. “Godzilla is a character that is the pride of Japan.”
Hiroshi Ohnishi, chief executive of the Isetan-Mitsukoshi department store chain, who is head of tourism promotion in the area, referred to Godzilla with the very polite honorific sama (used at the end of a name) underlining respect for the creature as a business-drawing landmark for the region.
The fire-breathing gorira – as it is pronounced in Japanese, combining the words gorilla and kujira, or whale – was born a genetic aberration, caused by nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. The reptilian mutation also symbolises national trauma over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the second world war.
The first Godzilla film, directed by Ishirō Honda, and accompanied by an unforgettable score and bestial screech, is revered as a classic. But in 2004 Toho announced it had made its last Godzilla, the 28th in the series. Toho’s reboot is set for release next year, before Edwards’ sequel for Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers, planned for 2018.
Over the years ,Godzilla has demolished Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge, the parliament building and several castles in Japan, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge and other chunks of San Francisco in the Hollywood version. Shinjuku ward has not been spared; it was flattened in three Toho movies.
If Godzilla chooses to return, it can now stomp on its own giant head. But Ichikawa warned reporters that the location of its next appearance had not been decided.