We thought the world was coming to an end when the Dustin Diamond sex tape surfaced. Actually, that's still the weirdest story of the year by far.

But the fact that Tom Cruise (right) has reportedly had a special day named in his honor in Japan is still pretty high up the list.

According to the Japan Memorial Day Association, Tom was awarded with his own day because of his love for, and close association with Japan.

Cruise's film, The Last Samurai, grossed $117 million more in Japan than it did in the U.S. The actor has paid more visits to the nation than any other major movie star and spends hours on end with fans in the country. Having an Asian-looking child, Suri Cruise, only enhances his appeal.

His tour of Japan last spring to promote Mission: Impossible III included a trip on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo, during which he had his photo taken with more than 100 fans. During that trip, Cruise told the press he wanted to shoot the next installment in the action series in Japan.

The Association noted that Cruise is the first Hollywood star to receive this honor. He is also one of the few A-list stars to get his ass fired, and one of a growing legion of seemingly intelligent people who buy into the crock that is Scientology. Has no one in Japan heard about Tom's crazy, brainwashed soon-to-be wife, Katie Holmes?

Who's next on Japan's list of honorees? We can't overlook the contributions a nude Britney Spears made to the Tokyo subway system, can we?