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Japan, It's Gas Chambers, Pet-Shops and the Terrible Cruelty Inflicted Upon Japanese Animals
“So you see, the fashionable pet shops want to show “their” animals as cute as possible. Therefore it is not uncommon to give no water to animals because no water means no urine.” Abolitionist: Is there any protection at all in Japan for pound animals? Lydia Tanabe : There is no protection for pound animals before they go to the gas chamber or before they are killed by injection. Cats are killed often at the day of arrival or at the next day – this depends on the prefecture. Dogs have to stay in the pound between two or ten days. There are pounds where the dogs get water but there are also pounds where the dogs are not provided with water at all. There's a new animal law, passed this year, that states if a healthy animal does not find a new home through the internet then they should be used for education or research. Some prefectures have started to introduce the dogs on the internet with their date of expiry, so to speak, to find them a new home urgently. In most cases, help comes too late. The fact is there are only a few dogs ever rescued from the pound. For cats, there is next to no chance at all.
Abolitionist: What happens if a companion animal becomes lost or unwanted in Japan ? Lydia Tanabe: What happens with the lost animals depends on the owner as well as on the species of the lost one. In Japan there's a very big problem with theft of fashionable animals. SASA has found stolen animals in petshops or with breeders. We presume, although we don't have any evidence yet, that stolen animals are also being brought to vivisection laboratories. For us, the biggest problem are the unwanted animals. Companion animals are subjects of fashion and when fashion changes there are a lot of owners who want the latest whim in “fashionable” companion animalship. Some owners bring the animals secretly to kindergartens or schools to show them off. Also there are people who send animals back through the post to animal groups or other persons if they don't want them any more. A very big problem in Japan is there are many homeless people who are not contributing financially to the social structure of Japan . Last year we detected that there are many people bringing their unwanted animal to homeless people and paying them for taking the animal off their hands. Of course, the homeless need this money so they take the money but then they let the animal die because they can't afford to feed them themselves.
In Japan we also see owners exposing their companion animals to danger. In Japan there is an internet site, where it shows places as well as introducing the reader on as how to torture animals. Small animals such as hamsters, small birds and turtles are also thrown away into the garbage. In the new law, exposing animals to danger is forbidden and someone doing this can be fined about 500000 Yen. The trouble is up until now the Japanese police seem not to be very interested in prosecuting these criminals. Abolitionist: How many homeless animals are there in Japan ? Lydia Tanabe: Nobody knows because nobody is counting homeless animals. Homeless cats are everywhere in Japan . Also there are homeless rabbits, raccoons, turtles from South America and birds like canaries from Australia . There aren't so many homeless dogs on the street because they are captured very quickly and are brought to the pound.
Cats are only brought to the pound, when somebody requests it to the city office. Raccoons or other big animals are mostly shot dead by the authorities. Other exposed animals have no chance of surviving. Abolitionist: What does your organisation Small Animals Support Association do? Lydia Tanabe: We want to mediate and educate to the Japanese public what animals really are, what they mean and what they need to live well. We want Japanese society to know that animals are not playthings, material or food and animals cannot be fashion either. We want to mediate and educate that animals are feeling creatures. Also, we want to spread the message that every species has its own requirements. Most petshops sell a lot of species, but have only one type of cage. A bird, a dog, a turtle…… they are all put in the same cage. Also pet owners are buying cages in the size of the animal. If an animal is 20cm long, they buy a 21 cm long cage. We want Japanese society to think about the different needs of every species. This is our commitment and that is what we want to do.
The new animal law in Japan speaks about species-appropriate keeping. However, it will take a long time until the people of Japan and the authorities will practice it. One other thing we are doing is rescuing tortured companion animals from petshops, from breeders, from homeless people and also private people.
Two years ago we took a petshop in Tokyo to court. It was the first time that something like this had ever been attempted against a petshop in Japan . It was a hard time because Japanese law is too wishy-washy. We mobilised a lot of people, the media, Members of Parliament and brought it to the second instance, but then the proceedings were stopped. The responsible attorney told us that there is no way we could win without a law being in place. From this time, we fought for an enforceable animal law which shouldn't just be a put up job or a farce.
This year a Japanese animal law becomes reality. It is still raw but we are hopeful something is will be in place that addresses the need for animals to be protected. We do not know yet if and how this law can stop cruelty against animals. The law speaks about spaying, neutering and inoculations but most Japanese think neutering and spaying is an actual cruelty to non-human animals. Most “owners” of animals do not understand the need for inoculations. This situation leads to an overpopulation of companion animals who are dying very quickly of preventable diseases. But petshops and breeders are not the only problem for companion animals. Other problems include animal rental shops, animal amusement parks or the posting of animals on internet sites. You see, we really are at a starting point over here in Japan . But the law, which passed this year, is a successful first step even though it doesn't address the killing of companion animals and other cruel practices still exist. SASA intends to continue our fight, in cooperation with other groups and persons, for the animals. We support all direct action which can help the animals on this earth too. In former Japan killing an animal was taboo. A sophisticated person ate no animals or wore no fur but Japan has followed suit from western influences. The Japanese Government is often speaks about tradition but it seems when it comes to animals they conveniently forget their authentic ethic traditions.
Abolitionist: What do you want to impart to readers of this interview about Japan's treatment of animals? Lydia Tanabe: Most animal loving people hearing about Japan issues with animals usually think about the destruction of the whale or dolphin hunting. This is a very big problem but it is fantastic that so many people all over the world do care for the whales and for the dolphins. People from all over the world, that is, except the Japanese. In Japan speaking about whaling is a big taboo. Also, animal groups do not speak or write about the whaling problem. To understand why it is so difficult for the Japanese people to comprehend the enormous implications of this problem, it might be helpful for me to point out the common animal view existing in Japan today. How can people who allow the killing of their own family dog understand the whaling problem? Up until now the situation for Japanese animals has not been exposed. Therefore the Japanese government did not see any need to change the situation. We need the pressure of the international community to help us pressurize the Japanese Government to act in favour of Japan 's pound animals. We are very hopeful that the pressure sought from the outside will spur the government to act positively for animals. Abolitionist: Are there any shelters in Japan for lost animals? If not, why not? Lydia Tanabe: The question is what is called a “shelter.” There are some private shelters. And some people are planning to open other private shelters. There are also private groups or persons, who have rooms for rescued animals. Perhaps our own houses could be called a shelter because there are always animals waiting for a foster family. But there are no city shelters for abandoned animals. In the region of Tokyo private houses are very small and it is difficult to find enough space for rescued animals. At this time, the government seems uninterested in providing state-run shelters because an unwanted animal can be killed at the pound so easily or used for other purposes. We have to admit there are a lot of Japanese people who have no real interest at all in abandoned animals. Last year we rescued a lot of cats from a homeless person. Of course some of the rescued cats were FIV and/or FeLV positive. We received lots of mails from people who criticised us for not euthanizing those cats. There is a saying in Japan : “If something is stinking, put a lid on it.” And that is what is going on in Japan . Most people do not want to see this “stinking reality” and they are putting a lid on it. Therefore it is very important that the international community takes this lid away. Abolitionist: Are companion animals being sent to vivisection laboratories in Japan ? Lydia Tanabe: Yes, they are. They are sent from the pounds or are bought at internet auctions. Also, our research shows us that there seems to be private persons selling their unwanted animals to vivisection laboratories. Up until now, Japan had no registration duty for vivisection. Everybody knows what this means for a high tech country like Japan . This year the government will start with the registration of vivisection laboratories. I am afraid, if the result becomes public, it will be incredibly shocking.
Abolitionist: How can the international animal rights community force the Japanese Government State run gas chambers to abolish these archaic practices? Lydia : At the moment most Japanese and also the government as well think that killing companion animals by gas is completely normal. The Japanese government must understand that the killing of companion animals by gas is not the only and not the normal way to go in this world. And a country like Japan that wants to be a member of the International Society cannot ignore ethical standards. Abolitionist: Why doesn't the Japanese government invest in shelters for lost and/or abandoned animals? Lydia Tanabe: That is a good question. Why not? Perhaps they do not see it as a big concern. I have asked this question myself to some Members of Parliament and there were different answers. Some spoke about tradition which is really nonsense. Others said, Japan did not have enough money. That also is nonsense. Japan is one of the richest countries in the world and there are also very rich high tech companies in Japan which could be incited to run shelters without too much ado. Abolitionist: What would be SASA's ideal resolution? Lydia Tanabe: Our ideal is very high and perhaps it needs a hundred years to realise it. But we are prepared to go incrementally step-by-step. Our first step is to put in place a good law that will protect companion animals. There must be a law which considers the requirements of every species and of course anyone tormenting, abandoning or killing their companion animals must be punished under law. Also the killing of animals by the State must end. SASA calls for companion animal species to be restricted.
Abolitionist: What is it about the Scandinavian, Switzerland and Germany model of No-Kill that you would emulate if you had the financial means Lydia? Lydia Tanabe: A sophisticated society is not in need of killing companion animals. Everybody knows about spaying and neutering. Everyone knows about what is responsible companion animal ownership. So we have to wonder why there is still an overpopulation problem in Japan . One point is, that the pet companies are appreciated higher than the life of the animals here. Point two is ethical education is not being invested into with any degree of seriousness. In Germany for example there are city operated shelters as well as private operated shelters. Many, many people are working as volunteers to help abandoned animals. It is a matter of ethical education. Japan still emulates America in their education because they force high school students to dissect frogs. Kindergartens and primary schools often keep animals then they ignore the requirements of the species. So at summer vacations animals are often dying because nobody is looking for them. That is not the basis for a sophisticated society. Japan needs a good ethical law for companion animals and education on animals must change. Of course we would like to have an animal shelter for our rescued fosterlings but the biggest problem is not the money, it is the non-available space, the non-available volunteers, the lack of any law and the lack of hard cooperation of the authorities. So we are forced to go step-by-step, day-by-day.
Abolitionist: How prevalent are petshops in Japan ? Lydia Tanabe: Pet shops in Japan are very prevalent because pet adoption is still unusual. And most people want an “ideal pet”. That means it must be young and fashionable. There are different kinds of pet shops - old ones, new ones, cheap ones, luxurious ones, shops that are opened 24 hours. All these pet shops show only the cute and too young animals because they have already gotten rid of the “non-sellers”. The fashionable pet shops want to show “their” animals as cute as possible. Therefore it is a usual practice to give no water to animals because no water means no urine. Recently internet pet shops have increased because they are convenient and cheaper than real pet shops. Postings of animals are a big problem and this will make it much more difficult to control responsible pet ownership. Abolitionist: What type and where are all the exotic animals in pet shops coming from in Japan ? Lydia Tanabe: Various kinds of monkeys, bats, armadillos, amphibious, wallabys, moles, foxes, aardvarks, meerkats, exotic snakes, lizards, fishes, turtles or insects. You can find nearly any kind of animal in a Japanese petshop. We have also seen tigers and lion cubs in one of the luxurious petshops of Tokyo . Plus there are animals that we have never seen before in our life. The bottom line is nobody knows how to care for them. In nearly every Japanese petshop there are a lot of varieties of monkeys but there are only a few Japanese people who actually live with a companion monkey. So, we are always wondering where these monkeys go to. Most of these animals are imported legally. They come from all over the world. It would also seem that criminals illegally import animals from all over the world.
Abolitionist: What can we do to help you? Lydia Tanabe: With animal issues the East Asian region seems to be very undeveloped. Our hope is Japan will soon become a kind of role model in animals issues for other East Asian countries because Japan has enough ethical historical background and has enough money to do this if it wished to. For now we are trying to cause the government to pass a more meaningful, a more ethical law. But there are also other problems like fur, farm animals, wild animals connected with environmental problems, vivisection, whaling etc. This time we are trying to fight with our petition for the companion animals. Petitions are very unusual in Japan , but we hope, that it will induce the government to reflect and renew the current situation for Japanese companion animals. The easiest way to help is to sign our petition or collect signs for the petition. http://www.stimmen-der-tiere-ev.de/SASA/eng/index.php Another possibility would be to write directly to the responsible authorities: Prime minister of Japan Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, Ministry of the Environment Government, Mail: MOE@env.go.jp And the last alternative would be to publish writings in Japanese. Most Japanese cannot read foreign languages and animal rights literature in Japanese is rare. Leaflets in Japanese are as welcome as the publication of books. Donations would be kindly most welcome. Lydia Tanabe, SASA Japan, www.sasajapan.org
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Lydia Tanab, spokesperson for Small Animals Support Association (SASA) speaks with the Abolitionist about Japan's gas chambers and why Japan offers it's animals no protection under law. 
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