The government is aiming to make it easier for people to evacuate their homes with their pets in the event of a natural disaster by ensuring they have more information on where they can go.
The Environment Ministry is preparing a checklist for local governments with a view toward making it simpler for pet owners to find out which shelters accept dogs, cats and other pets, officials said.
After major natural disasters, including powerful earthquakes that struck Kumamoto Prefecture and its vicinity in 2016, some people were forced to stay in their cars after they were turned away from shelters because they were accompanied by their pets.