TOKYO, December 3. /TASS/. Japan is willing to give a second Akita-Inu dog puppy as a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his official visit to the country scheduled for December 15-16, the Kyodo news agency said on Saturday, citing Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
Suga told the dog breeders about talks with Moscow on the issue.
In summer 2012, Putin received a present of an Akita-Inu dog puppy - the breed well known due to the Kachiko movie - from Governor of Japan’s Akita Prefecture Norihisa Satake. The puppy was called Yume (Dream). It was a present symbolizing Japan’s gratitude to Russia for its assistance after the disasters in March 2011. In response, Putin presented a Siberian-breed cat to Governor Satake. The governor chose not to give a Japanese name to the cat and picked a Russian word Mir (world or peace), which in the Japanese language sounds like "Miru."
An Akita Inu is a hunting dog bred in the province of Akita on Honshu Island. Supposedly, its ancestors appeared about 7,000 years ago. Dogs of the breed have a majestic posture, noble appearance and devotion to the master.