Russia rejects Japanese pet dog intended to give to Putin

Russia has rejected a gift of a Japanese Akita dog intended for President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of next week's bilateral summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan.

According to Reuters, the Japanese government plans to give President Putin a male Akita dog, the same breed as Yume, the female dog that Japan gave to Putin in 2012. However, a Japanese lawmaker recently said that Russia has rejected this offer.

"It is regrettable that we heard this news from the Russian side, the hope of bringing a 'groom' (to Yume) has been dashed," Japanese lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda wrote in a personal blog post on December 9. He did not disclose the reason why the Russian side refused this gift.

Photo of the two leaders of Japan and Russia next to the dog Yume in Sochi, Russia. Photo: Reuters.

President Putin is known as an animal lover. He has been photographed riding horses, swimming with dolphins and hugging a leopard.

In addition to Yume, which means "dream" in Japanese, Putin is also the owner of Buffy, a dog given to him by the Bulgarian prime minister in 2010. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Japan on December 15-16.

The two leaders are expected to work toward reviving security talks and joint maritime rescue training, which were suspended after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The two sides will also sign a number of economic cooperation agreements.

The Kuril Islands dispute (as Russia calls it) or the Northern Territories (according to Japan) has greatly affected relations between the two countries since the end of World War II.

According to Zing