(CNN) A 1928 Disney animation, which predates the creation of Mickey Mouse, has been unearthed in Japan, according to Japanese media.

The Asahi Shimbun reports that the cartoon short, entitled "Neck n' Neck," was part of the collection of an anime history researcher, Yasushi Watanabe, who bought it in Osaka while still a high school student some 70 years ago.

The title screen for the Japanese version of the "Neck n' Neck" cartoon, retitled "Mickey Manga Speedy"

At the time the film, which had been given the Japanese title "Mickey Manga Spide," or Mickey cartoon speedy, cost ¥500 ($4.40 at current exchange rates).

It features a character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who, in the two-minute consumer version owned by the researcher, is chased by a dog traffic cop while on a date. A longer version of five minutes was also produced.

The find came about after Watanabe read " Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons ," by former Disney animator David Bossert, which details the history of the character and notes that a number of the early animations had disappeared.

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