A stray dog has become a national celebrity in Japan, as millions watched his rescue, six days after he was stranded up a cliff.

Pictures of the stranded dog were beamed live across the nation as firefighters in Tokushima prefecture conducted the rescue.

The brown mongrel had been stuck for six days on a ledge, 50 metres high on a concrete retaining wall.

Seventeen people were involved in the rescue, while scores of others looked on.

The crowd gasped as the dog evaded two small hand-held nets, before it lost its footing and fell into a third net.

The dog, which was suffering dehydration, was bundled into a waiting pet cage and taken to a local animal shelter.

Local rescue officials have been overwhelmed by telephone calls from around the nation, offering the lucky dog a new home.