National May 20, 2020
Police have seen increasing numbers of violations of the animal law, such as animal abuse, which hit a record high last year.
World May 13, 2020
A Canadian zoo is shipping two pandas home to China after the coronavirus pandemic left it struggling to source the massive bamboo stockpiles needed to feed the giant creatures. Er Shun and her mate Da Mao have lived in the country since 2013 as part ...
National / History | THE LIVING PAST Apr 18, 2020
The dogs have their day in old Edo
by Michael Hoffman
The Laws of Compassion that Tokugawa Tsunayoshi issued trickled down to the lowest rungs of Edo Period (1603-1868) Japan, which included the capital's many feral dogs.
National / Crime & Legal Mar 26, 2020
The number of suspected animal abuse cases investigated by police across the nation reached 105 in 2019, setting a record, and included some cases in which videos of abuse were uploaded online, police data showed Thursday. The figure has been rising in recent years, according ...
National / Social Issues Mar 25, 2020
A Tokyo share house where shelter dogs and humans live in harmony
by Donican Lam
Share houses in Tokyo come in all shapes and sizes, but a nonprofit organization for rescue dogs has taken a fresh approach with a home where abandoned canines are housemates. "Wans Heim," which draws its name from a colloquial Japanese word for "dog" and the ...
World / Science & Health Feb 21, 2020
Lab-grown meat? Dutch start-up keeps pork on your plate without wrecking the planet
A Dutch start-up may have found a workaround for eco-conscious consumers struggling to give up meat: pork grown in a laboratory that doesn't harm animals or damage the planet. Meatable will this summer unveil its first pork prototype made entirely from cultured animal cells instead ...
National Dec 23, 2019
Cat under the kotatsu: Wakayama chicken meat seller runs fruity campaign to help felines
A store that sells chicken meat has launched a kooky social media campaign to leverage Japanese people's seemingly unrelated love of mikan (mandarin oranges), kotatsu heated tables and cute felines to raise funds for a network of shelter cat cafes. Nakata Chicken in Wakayama Prefecture ...
Asia Pacific Oct 13, 2019
By official accounts, the pig contagion wreaking havoc across Eastern Asia has virtually skipped over North Korea, with a single outbreak reported there in May. But wayward feral pigs have stoked concern that Kim Jong Un's reclusive state is hiding an African swine fever ...
National Oct 2, 2019
More than 330 coins found in stomach of dead alligator at Nagoya zoo
More than 330 coins have been found in the stomach of a dead alligator at a Nagoya zoo in May, apparently swallowed over a span of decades as visitors tossed spare change into the pond while making wishes. The death of the alligator at Higashiyama ...
Culture Aug 27, 2019
Under the big top of Japan’s Kinoshita Circus
by Andrew McKirdy
Michael Howes claims his job is "no more dangerous than driving a car." "If you make a mistake driving a car, is it going to be a slight accident or a life-changing accident?" asks the 49-year-old Englishman. "It all comes down to the mistakes you ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Jun 22, 2019
2020 Tokyo Olympics puts spotlight on animal welfare
by Philip Brasor
The International Olympic Committee sets procurement standards for materials used in conjunction with the games. One of these standards is sustainability, which was first established for the 2012 London Olympics. In terms of meals supplied to athletes and others, ingredients must be produced and ...
Food & Drink Apr 7, 2018
With free-range, Japan shows signs of a slow improvement
by Louise George Kittaka
Hiragai (平飼い), or free-range husbandry, where the animals can move around freely outdoors for at least part of the day, is still a somewhat foreign concept in Japan.