Japan's Abe oversees puppy handover to Russian Olympic champion

On a three-day visit to Russia, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took part in the handing over of an Akita puppy to Russian Olympic champion figure skater Alina Zagitova. The three-month old female puppy was offered to the teenage PyeongChang Winter Olympic gold medalist on Saturday by a group dedicated to preserving the Japanese breed. Abe arrived in Russia on Thursday for an economic forum. Zagitova fell in love with the breed while training in Japan and asked her parents to let her have an Akita puppy if she won at the Games. The puppy is called Masaru in Japanese, which means "win" or “victory".