I've had my share of days where I wished I could simply wake up Japanese, as any J-culture addict will likely relate to, but I can say I have never considerered I could successfully pulled it off. Apparently some people are not beyond trying, though -- Japan Probe reports that a Japanese man and a Filipino woman have recently been arrested for filing a false birth report claiming that a baby was theirs in order to gain Japanese nationality status for it.

From the source article:

Michio Uchino, 55, and Marissa Floures Ito, 31, allegedly filed a false birth report with the Ushiku municipal government office in Ibaraki Prefecture in April that says the boy was Uchino’s, the police said.

In August, the two also filed a false application with the Justice Ministry seeking the boy’s Japanese nationality, according to the police.

[...]

Ito has told investigators that she thought she could continue to stay and work in Japan if Japanese nationality is granted to her baby, the police said. Ito has given several hundred thousand yen to Uchino, with whom she got acquainted through a friend.

Yikes. Probably doesn't feel so hot to be caught red handed, huh.  How embarrassing. Ritsu cries for the shame of it all.