Animal experimentation in Japan

• "Establishing Legal Restrictions and the Need for Acquiring Actual Situations in Japan"
  6^th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences
  Special Symposium - Dialogue with Citizens - 2007.8.25
  

ALIVE and AVA-Net (Anti Vivisection Action network) have cooperated to work on the issue of animal experimentation.

There are no laws at all in Japan concerning animal experimentation. In 1999, when a Law concerning the Protection and Control of Animals was revised, we demanded that at least a registration system controlling
facilities for animal experimentation be created. However, mainly because of opposition by researchers it did not happen.

In 2001, a national free information law was enacted. Since then ALIVE has been demanding to open information such as plans for animal experimentation by national universities and national research institutions.

During this process, we found that some plans were covered blacked out, especially in parts describing which facilities offer the animals, the names of researchers and the contents of experimentation. Therefore we have lodged a formal objection and we have succeeded in opening the sufficient information after all.

ALIVE has especially worked on stopping the conduct that Japanese macaques, that are native to Japan, are pest hunted and offered as animals for experimentation.

In 2005, when an animal protection law will be next revised, we hope that systems to check on the actual conditions of animal experimentation, a way to let a third party see the condition that animals are in, and the contents of experimentation are put into the law. We are working to set such kinds of systems into the law.

Moreover, through the cooperation with Diet members or Japanese Society of Alternatives to Animal Experiments we are making an appeal that alternatives to use of animals in experimentation are acceptable economically and ethically.