Akita dog gifted by Japan to Russian President Putin has died

TOKYO - An Akita dog given to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Akita Prefecture died in 2025, his office said on May 15.If she were alive, the dog, named Yume, would have celebrated her 14th birthday on April 24.Yume “died of old age last year,” the Russian presidential office said in an answer to an inquiry from The Yomiuri Shimbun without providing the date she died or other details.The dog was believed to be kept at Mr Putin’s official residence.The Akita prefectural government presented Yume to Mr Putin in July 2012 as a thank-you for Russia’s support in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake the previous year.In February 2014, Akita welcomed then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when he attended a summit with Mr Putin in Sochi, Russia.When The Yomiuri Shimbun made an inquiry in January in 2025, the presidential office described Yume as “well, mischievous, devoted and keeping the president happy.” THE JAPAN NEWS/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK