The Nihon Ken Hozonkai (日本犬保存会, The Association for the Preservation of the Japanese Dog), commonly abbreviated to Nippo, is a preserver and maintainer of the registries for the six native Japanese dog breeds: the Akita Inu , Hokkaido, Kai Ken , Kishu, Shikoku, and Shiba Inu. Nippo also issues the Nippo Standard, which serves as a breed standard for the six native breeds.