Shohei Ohtani’s dog Dekopin (aka Decoy) received an honorary visa from the US Embassy in Japan this week in the form of an oversized fake document that jokingly identified the dog as “000MVPUP000.”
Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and current US ambassador to Japan, met with the Dodgers star and gave him a fake visa designed just for Decoy.
“Delighted to meet pioneering two-time MVP Ohtani-san again – my lucky day,” Emanuel posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Maybe next time I’ll be lucky enough to meet his MVPup, Decoy. – this ‘visa’ should help.”
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Ohtani shared a picture of the visa on his Instagram Story, which was reposted x by MLB. The video showed that the fake document was full of jokes.
Decoy’s age was listed as “N/A Dog Years”, his passport number was listed as “000MVPUP000”, his control number was listed as “000GOODBOY000” and his VISA type was listed as “canine”. The fake travel document also states that Decoy has dual citizenship between Japan and the United States.
Shohei Ohtani’s dog, Decoy.
Shohei Ohtani/Instagram
Ohtani, 29, and his brown and white pup first made headlines when the then-Los Angeles Angels star appeared on camera with his well-behaved pet as he awaited his second consecutive American League Most Valuable Player award last fall.
Small dog Kooikerhondje “stole the show” during the virtual MVP awards, according to Sports Illustrated. MLB and its broadcast partner Fox even poked fun at how much attention the spaniel received on social media, posting a picture on x Ohtani and his dog with the caption: “MVP and Shohei Ohtani.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Ohtani, who is known for being secretive about his life off the baseball diamond, later feared for his pet for months as baseball reporters tried to learn more about the animal, starting with its name. However, when Ohtani announced last month that he was joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in the largest offseason free agency deal in MLB history, the second MVP also finally revealed his dog’s name.
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Shohei Ohtani.
Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty
At the Dodgers signing press conference, the MLB hitter was finally asked to tell the fans his dog’s name: Decoy, Ohtani explained to reporters in the room.
“I thought Americans would have a hard time pronouncing him, so he has an American name,” Ohtani told the media through his longtime translator Ippei Mizuhara, according to the Associated Press.
Sports reporters immediately saw the irony in Ohtani’s pet name, after months of mystery surrounding the MLB star’s free agency decision sent reporters on a wild chase. Dodgers reporter Matthew Moreno broke the news on x that Ohtani’s dog could be called “bait” by fans.
“Which, considering how his free agency went, is perfect,” Moreno joked.
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