A T-shirt with a Ukrainian flag background and an illustration of the long-haired Akita dog “Wasao” (d. June 2020) calling for “NO WAR” is available for sale on the Internet. A portion of the proceeds will be used to support Ukrainian refugees who are suffering from the Russian invasion.
The T-shirt was designed by Kudo Ken, head of the Wasao Project, an organization that helped care for Wasao and manages other related merchandise. Wasao was the signboard dog of an Ikayaki (grilled squid) shop in Ajigasawa-machi, Aomori Prefecture. Mr. Kudo said, “There are people with Akita dogs both in Russia and Ukraine, and we can’t let them be displaced by war.”
This refugee support is part of a campaign launched by “ClubT” (Tokyo), which sells original T-shirts and other items. The price of each Wasao T-shirt is 2,915 yen (including tax), of which the company will donate 1,000 yen to the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency.
In the past, the Wasao Project sold goods online and used the proceeds to buy dog food and other expenses. But this time, they are not collecting profits and donating them to refugee support.
