KYODO NEWS - Aug 28, 2017 - 16:57 | All, Lifestyle

A police dog on Monday received an award from the Metropolitan Police Department for locating a gun that led to the arrest of a crime syndicate member.

The 3-year-old male Labrador Retriever, named Moon Rocket, was decorated with the Superintendent General's award for finding a gun and bullets hidden under the floor of a yakuza member's home in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, during a raid in July. It is the first time a dog has received the award for a firearms search.

At a ceremony held at the MPD headquarters in Tokyo, Isao Sato, the 57-year-old assistant inspector who is in charge of training dogs at the identification unit received the certificate on behalf of the dog.

"I am looking forward to further success in his work," said Takatoshi Kamijo, who heads the organized crime division of the police.

According to the division, Moon Rocket is a "hybrid" police dog capable of searching for both firearms and drugs. In a separate investigation in May, he located two guns and bullets at a park in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward.