Abstract
There are more than ten million dogs kept in Japanese houses amid unprecedented pet boom in this country. However, the number of Akita Inu in Japan has been decreasing because large-sized dogs are disliked by pet-lovers who tend to keep small western dogs. In contrast, Akita Inu is more popular in foreign countries, especially in the Europe. New branches of Akita Inu Hozonkai have been opened in Russia, Ukraine and Italy in recent years and they hold Akita Inu festivals annually. Akita Prefecture should be more proud of Akita Inu, a large breed of dog originating from Akita. This year is the 80 th anniversary of the death of Hachiko, a famous Akita Inu who showed loyalty to the owner even after his death. Akita prefecture should make use of Akita Inu to promote tourism. In this paper, I make some proposals to the local government for the popularization and internationalization of Akita Inu.
