The Hokkaidō wolf, known in Japan as the Ezo wolf, is one of the two extinct subspecies of Canis lupus that have been called the Japanese wolf. The other is the Honshū wolf. The Hokkaidō wolf became extinct during the Meiji restoration period. It was deemed a threat to ranching and targeted via a bounty system and a direct chemical extermination campaign. Sightings of the Hokkaidō wolf have been claimed from the time of its extinction to the present day, but none of these have been verified.