Hmm - don't know - when I went to get my reentry permit about 4 months
ago it took me longer to walk upstairs and get the revenue stamp then
it took for them to give me back my passport with the reentry permit
attached.

Now I did get several odd questions about why my wife and kid weren't
applying for one from the one officeworker who spoke english well
enough that they didn't need to hand me a form letter.  Seemed a bit
odd to him that I already had a Japanese wife and kid before moving
here.