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Japan sees record number of 105 suspected animal abuse cases in 2019

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Keeping a dog in a cage in an apartment is abuse in and of itself.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

I can't wait until these new laws come in!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Was thinking exactly the same. It's like the coronavirus stats and other stats here. Always seem to be manipulated.

That's impossibly low.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Close to where I live there is a shopping area with multiple malls and restaurants. Almost every weekend, there is a group of pet owners gathering, having cages with cats, dogs and other small pets on display. It seems to be a popular thing with children and other passerby.

Imagine a group of elderly pet owners standing in front of some plastic picnic tables with cages on them. Bunch of other folks flocking around, poking the poor pets, taking pictures and yelling kawaiii in unison.

I do not know if that classifies as an abuse but I doubt the animals particularly enjoy this.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Japan euthanizes 500.000 pets a year. The abuse starts in pet shops. Adopting a pet is beyond impossible here. This is all abuse and needs to change.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

 Adopting a pet is beyond impossible here. 

No. There are lots of resources to adopt pets here. My own dog was adopted (rescued) from a bad situation.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What about little monkeys held on leashes, dressed in ridiculous outfits and forced to entertain at shopping malls. That is sick and abusive. If Japan really cared about animal welfare, it would be illegal to use any animal as entertainment for selfish humans.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

What about little monkeys held on leashes, dressed in ridiculous outfits and forced to entertain at shopping malls.

How dare you refer to an eikaiwa teacher picking up some extra money on the weekend as a monkey.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

As commanteer says, adopting a pet is not impossible. It is easy for those who have the ability to keep a pet, but reputable organisations insist the person either owns the residence where the pet is to be kept or has the landlord's written permission.

You can adopt from Animal Rescue Kansai, which, in spite of the name, has an place in Tokyo. www.arkbark.net

There is a great deal of animal cruelty in Japan, and little is done about it. Many breeders breed animals under cruel conditions, the pet shop business is a cruel business, and a dog tied up with a one metre leash all day is considered normal, not cruelty.

At least, it seems the police may be starting to do something about it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The numbers surely have to be under reported? The case INVESTIGATED by police was 105. That infers that there are likely many more that were 1) not reported, or 2) reported but not investigated by police.

Anyone who says Japan, as a whole, cares about animals is lying to themselves.

Look at the pet shops and you can see the disgusting conditions they keep prairie dogs, monkeys and meerkats. A tiny cage for one meerkat, it just lies in the hammock since it can barely even walk around the cage, it's that small. The Prairie dogs chew the bars of the cage - a sign of stress.

To the uneducated, the animals are cute and exotic, but Japan has a huge lack of animal ethics. This would not fly in countries like the UK, USA, Australia etc. The people would be protesting, not blindly following the government and allowing for such animal cruelty to happen right under their noses.

Zoos in Japan are also not up to standard. The exhibits are considered small, and they still use small cages compared to zoos in other first world nations, who use large enclosures for the welfare of the animals. Perhaps that's due to the cheap entry fee (500yen vs $30-40 in Australia for example), so not a lot of money is made to provide better care for the animals?

I hope they make laws that apply to pet shops and zoos too. It's still animal cruelty.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The number of suspected animal abuse cases investigated by police hit a record 105 in Japan in 2019, 

See, hear, speak no evil; Japanese reality management at its finest.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

When I first moved to Japan in 2003, I had a neighbour who left their dog outside 24 hours a day, 12 months a year. The dog was tied to a two-metre chain and would bark all night and day. I always felt so bad for that dog, especially in winter.

Sometimes I hear people (always foreigners) criticize dog owners who dress their dogs in expensive clothes and push them around in little buggies. When I hear that criticism, I always think about that poor dog left outside on a short chain in the middle of winter. I bet that dog would’ve traded places in a heartbeat with the ones in fancy clothes being pushed around in a buggy like royalty.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I love Japan but there is one thing I despise and it's the way they treat animals. From performing monkeys dressed in human clothes at tourist spots to the 30 wild monkeys packed in to a tiny cage at Odowarra castle...it beggars belief that this modern industrialized nation can still allow such medieval practices.

Worst of all are the owl shops. Somebody should explain to the Japanese that owls are nocturnal woodland creatures that should be living in a tree of their choice and hunting by night in a wood. They are not adornments to be kept in a cage. It literally sickens me this side of Japan...sickens me and they should be extremely ashamed of themselves.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Of course it has been said in a blanket statement over the years that the Japanese themselves live in rabbit hutches.

And although much of what is said above is true, you will also find the extreme opposite here, i.e. people who have surprisingly deep sympathy and understanding with the animals they live alongside.

I have also noticed that most people in Japan are successful in training their dogs to be non-aggressive and 'in control'. It's as if everyone, even little kids, seem to trust in the 'good nature' of dogs. That was certainly not the case when I lived in New York, where you would steer well clear of most dogs.

Not meaning to excuse the ignorant cruelty that does take pace, probably in far larger numbers than this absurdly low 105, but just wanting to keep a balance. The Japanese are not all black when it comes to care of animals.

By the same token, these new laws are definitely a long-needed improvement.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A man arrested in July last year on suspicion of animal abuse posted online a video in which he put a condom over his pet parakeet and poked it with a stick. Police were alerted by viewers and the man was fined 200,000 yen in October.

Maybe they should have put him in a mental institution. That’s really twisted of him to even think of doing that!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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