Revision of the Animal Protection and Control Law Achieved

For many years ALIVE has been involved in the movement to revise the Law Concerning the Protection and Control of Animals. Following the previous revision of this law in December 1999, we mounted a campaign to further strengthen the legislation, collecting the signatures of 150,000 people. In addition, we made approaches to the Japanese government, individual Diet members and related organizations, and many of our proposals were taken into consideration. As a consequence of efforts by ALIVE and from many other quarters, the Law Concerning the Protection and Control of Animals was revised in July of this year.

In the recent revision, the following new regulations were included.

• The national government is charged with determining the law’s basic policy, while the prefectural governments are responsible for drawing up basic plans.
• Animal handling businesses are to be required to participate in a registration system (in practice a permit system).  
• The breeding of dangerous animals is to be subject to a permit-based individual registration system.
• Consideration is to be given to the welfare of animals kept for experimentation.

Under the revised law, the Ministry of Environment will determine a variety of standards and regulations by January 2006. ALIVE is expressing its opinions on this issue too.

Regrettably, almost no controls over animal experimentation were including in the recent revision. However, the law is scheduled for further revision after five years, so we will continue our activities in particular with respect to the aims of improving the welfare of experimental animals and farm animals.