Cat Gifted by Putin to Japan's Akita Pref. Dies at 12
Akita, Dec. 4 (Jiji Press)--Mir, a 12-year-old male Siberian cat gifted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan's Akita Prefecture, died of illness Tuesday, the prefectural government said the same day.
The cat had been raised by Akita Governor Norihisa Satake.
The prefecture presented female Akita dog Yume to Putin in 2012 as a token of its gratitude for Russia's assistance offered to areas knocked out by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that mainly hit the Tohoku northeastern Japan region, which includes Akita.
Putin gave the male cat to the prefecture in return in 2013, and Satake named it Mir, which means peace in Russian. Satake has been in the governor's post since 2009.
Every February, Satake uploaded a video of Mir on the prefecture's official YouTube channel to coincide with the cat's birthday, Feb. 12, and on other occasions.
(2024/12/04-10:28)
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