Jirō (Asanuma's dog)

Jirō
次郎

Jirō with Inejirō Asanuma (March 1960)
Species	Dog
Breed	Akita
Sex	Male
Born	c. 1957 Japan
Died	Late 1960 Tokyo, Japan
Nation from	Japan
Known for	Dying of grief after his owner's assassination
Owner	Inejirō Asanuma

Jirō (次郎 Jirō, c. 1957 – late 1960) was an Akita dog owned by Japanese politician Inejirō Asanuma. He became known in Japan for his loyalty after Asanuma's assassination in 1960, with contemporary accounts describing him as having died of grief.

Asanuma received Jirō as a puppy around 1957. The puppy was a gift from two political rivals, Kenji Fukunaga and Ikkō Kasuga, to cheer Asanuma up after one of his previous dogs died.^[1][2] Asanuma wanted to keep the puppy inside the house, but his wife Kyōko insisted he keep Jirō outside in the small garden of their Dōjunkai public apartment in Shirakawa-chō, Fukagawa, Tokyo. A neighbor even sent a complaint letter saying it was strange for a politician to keep a "fierce guard dog" at the entrance. Because Asanuma and his wife had no biological children (their adopted daughter Kinue Asanuma was already a university student), Jirō became a very important and beloved companion to Asanuma.^[3][4]

After Asanuma was assassinated on 12 October 1960 by Otoya Yamaguchi, his beloved Akita dog Jirō stopped eating and eventually died, reportedly of grief, 'as if he had followed his master.' A contemporary photo report in the Asahi Graph (アサヒグラフ) October 30, 1960 issue (No. 1896), titled '浅沼委員長凶刃に倒る', included a photograph showing the dejected dog lying quietly outside of the apartment.^[5]