Toda Erika to become a police dog handler for new movie, “DOG x POLICE”

Actress Toda Erika is going to team up with police dogs for a new movie called
“DOG x POLICE“, starring actor Ichihara Hayato.


The movie is going to focus on police dogs and their trainers as they have to hunt down a serial bomber. Police dogs are used to detect dangerous substances, oppress criminals and for rescue operations after calamities such as the Great Tohoku Kanto Earthquake. “We want to convey a story about police dogs whose mission it is to save people’s lives,” the producer explained.


Toda is going to play a policewoman who is training dogs in order to become versatile police dogs. Those people are also known as dog handlers.


Prior to the filming Toda had to go through some thorough training and started to fall in love with the amazing police dogs. She commented, “I knew that they are really helpful when it comes to detecting things like drugs or rescue operations in destroyed areas, but thanks to the training I learned that those dogs are actually also able to prevent crimes.”


Five of the dogs that participated in the filming were dispatched to North-East Japan after the great earthquake that struck the country on March 11th. Just thinking about the fact the dogs she worked with during the filming are now saving lives caused Toda to put even more effort into this movie. She said, “I want to convey – No, it feels like it’s my duty now to convey the great effort and the passion of police dogs and their handlers and all the troubles they have to deal with every day. This is what I can do right now. This is how I’m feeling about this movie now.”


Ichihara, Tokita Saburo, and others were filming in Kawagoe, Saitama when the earthquake struck Japan. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but since it was impossible to resume filming at this location the production had come to a halt for more than two weeks. They were able to continue filming thanks to the cooperation of the Kobe Film Office that already had to deal with the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995.


The producer added, “We want to create some wonderful entertainment that is able to get people all over the country excited, touched, give them courage, and also make them smile again.”


“DOG x POLICE” is scheduled to open in Japan on October 1st.