Executive Summary

The Act on Welfare and Management of Animals (1973) forms the basis of animal welfare protections in Japan. The Act includes enforcement mechanisms and recognises that animals feel pain and distress. The Act on Welfare and Management of Animals (1973) is also very clear in its expectations of animal owners and organisations to care for animals their entire lives. The Act is reviewed every five years allowing for regular amendments to improve animal welfare across the country.

While animal welfare legislation exists, it is vague and limited in the protections it provides animals. Similarly, supplementary standards are not mandatory and not aligned with current OIE animal welfare standards. There are no animal welfare protections provided for wild animals in any of the applicable laws. It is also concerning that there is no further guidance, beyond the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals applicable to animals in captive environments such as zoos. Inherently cruel activities also continue to take place in Japan, for example dog fighting and the internationally condemned Taiji Cove dolphin hunt. Similarly, the keeping of exotic pets is also popular in Japan, and there are currently few restrictions on their keeping.  

Animal welfare in Japan is generally governed by the Ministry of Environment, with some policies regarding animal health being produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Since the 2014 iteration of the Animal Protection Index, Japan has not introduced new animal welfare protections. There is at least one new bill; aimed at reducing stray dog and cat populations; passed by the Japanese Parliament in 2019. However, as the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals (1973) is currently under review, new bills increasing animal welfare provisions, will not come into force until after the passing of any amendments to the Act on welfare and management.

The Government of Japan is strongly urged to align all animal welfare under one ministry and to create an animal welfare committee whose purpose is to produce guidelines, enforce legislation and educate the public on animal welfare. The committee should include representatives from multiple government ministries, animal welfare organisations and experts and the national zoos and aquariums associations. The Government is encouraged to introduce mandatory guidelines, aligned with OIE animal welfare standards, to govern the rearing, transport and slaughter of farm animals, working conditions for draught animals, animals in captivity and dog and cat population management. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each Animal Protection Index (API) indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.