Money-Sniffing Dogs Come to Narita Airport
If you're traveling through Japan's Narita Airport, you might see some dogs walking around. But these dogs aren't there to play — they're there to work.
The airport has become the first in the country to introduce money-detecting dogs, which have been trained to sniff out large amounts of money in people's bags.
Anyone entering or leaving Japan is legally required to declare any money they are traveling with that exceeds 1 million yen — or about $7,000.
And during Japan's busy Obon holiday season in mid-August, the Ministry of Finance thought there might be an increase in people trying to illegally travel with large amounts of money.
The two dogs — both Labradors — were first put to work in the airport on August 8. In a test, which was filmed, the dogs separately checked bags, and when they found a bag that was suspicious, they sat down and signaled customs officers to take a look.
For now, the money-detecting dogs will only be used at Narita, along with the airport's drug-detecting dogs. But the ministry said they could be used at other airports in the country in the future.
Trained dogs like these aren't only used in airports. In August 2023, a police dog in Italy detected over $1 million in two bags at a bus station near the city of Florence.
