Pet ownership in Japan has boomed in the past decade, and it’s now thought that the number of cats and dogs in Japan outnumber children.
That’s why you’re likely to find a crowd cooing over the high-priced kittens and puppies in the windows of pet stores across the country. According to a recent study by Anicom Insurance, dog owners in Japan lavish a yearly average of ¥300,000 per pooch while cat owners shell out ¥160,000 per cat.
Despite those numbers, there are still a lot of animals who don’t get access to dog strollers and Instagram stardom. In fact, Japan’s pet population faces numerous issues, from disease caused by over-breeding and inbreeding to the neglect and gassing of animals en masse as part of animal control measures.