The Emperor of Japan Akihito so Delighted over Re-discovery of Japan's Indigenous Freshwater Salmon Kunimasu

The Emperor of Japan Akihito (明仁天皇 the 125th Emperor of Japan) well-known for his long devotion to the research on Gobioidei (see http://bit.ly/ePw0ij ) at the Ichtyological Society of Japan was reportedly so delighted with a news that Japan's indigenous freshwater salmon "Kunimasu 国鱒, Black Kakonee, Oncorhynchus nerka kawamurae" thought extinct for 70 years has been recently discovered to be alive and thriving in Lake Saiko (see  http://bit.ly/hOk7t6 ), one of the five lakes around Mt. Fuji.

Mr. Takao Yaguchi, a Japanese cartoonist famous for his work "Tsurikichi Sanpei, literally meaning Fishing Maniac Sanpei in which he produced a cartoon of re-discovering Kunimasu at a lake in mountains decades ago. He was so surprised to know that his fiction became a reality.  Fishing Maniac Sanpei has been popular in Taiwan, South Korea, Italy, etc. Watch the video of Tsurikichi Sanpei: 

Reward of JPY 5 million was once offered for catching Kunimasu by the Lake Tazawa Tourist Association (see the site in case you want to go for hot springs by the beautiful lake.  http://www.tazawako.org/ ), Akita Prefecture, Japan.  

When The Emperor of Japan Akihito made his remarks on the re-discovery of Kunimasu on the occasion of his 77th birthday, he appreciated the efforts made by Prof. Tetsuji Nakabo, Kyoto University and Mr. Fish (nickname), Visiting Associate Professor of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. 
See the related article:  http://bit.ly/fzPP4V  

The rediscovery of the once-thought extinct species was said to be extremely rare.