The Diet on Wednesday passed a bill requiring dog and cat breeders to microchip animals, and owners to voluntarily do the same to their pets, in a bid to reduce the number of strays.
The pet microchipping rules will take effect in three years after the promulgation of the revised animal protection law, which also toughened penalties for people found guilty of abusing animals. A number of serious cases in which people have shared videos of abuse created momentum for the change.
Those found to have injured or killed a pet could be subject to imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to ¥5 million ($46,100), increased from the previous penalty of up to 2 years in prison or a fine of up to ¥2 million.