Contents
Chapter 1: General Provisions (Articles 1 ~ 4)
Chapter 2: Proper Care and Keeping of Animals
Section 1: General Provisions (Articles 5 ~ 7)
Section 2: Regulations for Businesses Dealing with Animals (Articles 8 ~14)
Section 3: Measures Relating to Protection of the Living Environment of Neighborhoods (Article 15)
Section 4: Measures Relating to Preventing Harm to Human Life, etc., by Animals (Article 16)
Section 5: Staff with Responsibility for Animal Protection (Article 17)
Chapter 3: Measures Taken by Prefectures, etc. (Articles 18 ~ 22)
Chapter 4: Miscellaneous Regulations (Articles 23 ~ 26)
Chapter 5: Penalties (Articles 27 ~ 31)
Chapter 1: General Provisions
(Purpose)
Article 1
The purpose of this Law is to prescribe matters relating to the prevention of cruelty to animals, the appropriate treatment of animals and other matters relating to the protection of animals, and to engender a feeling of love for animals among the people, thereby contributing to the development of respect for life and sentiments of amity and peace; and to prescribe matters relating to the control of animals, thereby preventing harm being done by animals to human life, body and property.
(Fundamental Principle)
Article 2
In recognition of the fact that animals are living beings, all people are required not only to refrain from killing, injuring, and inflicting cruelty upon animals, but also to treat animals properly while taking the need for symbiosis between people and animals and the natural habits of animals into account.
(Popularization and Education)
Article 3
With respect to the protection, proper care and keeping of animals, the Government and local public bodies are required to make efforts at popularization and public education concerning the fundamental principle outlined in the preceding article, while attempting to forge mutual linkage between educational activities and public relations activities.
("Be Kind to Animals" Week)
Article 4
1. "Be Kind to Animals" Week shall be established in order to enhance interest and understanding among the people concerning the protection and proper methods of keeping animals as living beings.
2. "Be Kind to Animals" Week shall be from September 20 through 26.
3. During "Be Kind to Animals" Week, the Government and local public bodies are required to hold functions appropriate to the aims of the said week.
Chapter 2: Proper Care and Keeping of Animals
Section 1: General Provisions
(Obligations of Owners and Possessors of Animals, etc.)
Article 5
1. Owners and possessors of animals are required, in full realization of their responsibilities as owners or possessors of living beings, to maintain the health and safety of their animals by caring for or keeping their animals in a proper manner, and to ensure that their animals do not cause harm to human life, body, or property, or become a nuisance.
2. Owners and possessors of animals are required to make efforts to obtain correct knowledge with respect to infections diseases capable of being spread by the animals in their care or possession.
3. Possessors of animals are required to make efforts to take action to clarify that the animals in their possession are their own possessions.
4. The Prime Minister may, after consultation with the heads of the administrative organs concerned, prescribe standards applicable to the care and keeping of animals.
(Obligations of People Involved in Animal Sales-Related Business)
Article 6
People who engage in animal sales as a business are required to make efforts to provide necessary explanations with respect to the proper methods of animal care and keeping to purchasers of the animals concerned and to ensure that the purchasers understand their explanations.
(Measures by Local Public Bodies)
Article 7
In order to maintain the health and safety of animals and to prevent animals from creating a public nuisance, local public bodies may, as provided for by ordinance, provide guidance to owners or possessors concerning the care and keeping of their animals or take other action where necessary.
Section 2: Regulations for Businesses Dealing with Animals
(Notification of Engagement is Businesses Dealing with Animals)
Article 8
1. Individuals or corporations who are to engage in running a business (the definition of "animal" is limited to mammals, birds and reptiles and does not include animals in care or keeping at livestock farms, etc., or animals used for experimental research, manufacture of biotics or other purposes or other purposes as defined by relevant laws or instructions; this definition applies hereinafter in the current and following Sections) dealing with animals (the definition of "businesses dealing with animals" applies to individuals or organizations engaged in sales, keeping, renting out, training, exhibiting and other animal handling activities on a commercial basis as determined by relevant laws or instructions; this definition applies hereinafter) that utilizes facilities for the care or keeping of animals (hereinafter referred to as "keeping facilities") are required to notify the following items to their local prefectural governor (or to the mayor in the case of cities specially designated by Government Ordinance and accorded the privilege of executing autonomously certain administrative affairs that ordinarily fall within the jurisdiction of the Prefectural Office under the Local Government Act [1947, Law No. 67, Article 252-19-1], hereinafter referred to as "designated cities"; this definition applies hereinafter in the current Section and in Articles 15-1 and 2) with respect to each of the business's branch offices that contains facilities for keeping animals, in accordance with stipulations issued by the Ministry of the Environment. Items to be notified:
i. Name or designated title and address; and in the case of corporations, name of representative
ii. Name and address of enterprise that installed the keeping facilities
iii. Kinds and numbers of animals ordinarily handled
iv. Structure and scale of the keeping facilities
v. Management method employed at the keeping facilities
vi. Other items as specified in the relevant notification issued by the Ministry of the Environment
2. When providing notification of the aforementioned items, individuals or corporations are also required to submit a plot plan of each keeping facility and a sketch detailing the neighborhood, as well as other documents as specified in the relevant notification issued by the Ministry of the Environment.
(Notification of Changes)
Article 9
1. Individuals or corporations providing notification under the regulations outlined in Paragraph 1 of Article 8, (hereinafter referred to as "businesses dealing with animals") are required to notify the prefectural governor of any changes to the particulars listed under Items 3 to 6 of the paragraph in question, as specified in the relevant notification issued by issued by the Ministry of the Environment.. However, this requirement does not apply in cases where such changes are made in response to the provisions of the relevant notification issued by issued by the Ministry of the Environment.
2. Operators of the businesses dealing with animals are required to are required to notify the prefectural governor of any changes to the particulars listed under Items 1 and 2 of Paragraph 1 of Article 8, or if they stop using the keeping facilities in question without delay.
3. The regulation concerning notification in Paragraph 2 of Article 8 also applies to Paragraph 1 of Article 9.
(Succession)
Article 10
1. When an operator of the businesses dealing with animals is subject a business succession or unification, the successor, the corporation continuing the business following the unification or the new corporation established through the unification will be deemed to have succeeded to the original animal handling business operator's position.
2. The successor to an operator's position of the business dealing of animals is required to notify the prefectural governor of the succession without delay.
(Standards Observance Obligations)
Article 11
1. In order to maintain health and safety of the animals in their keeping, operators of the businesses dealing with animals are required to are required to comply with the standards relating to the structure of keeping facilities, animal care and management methods, etc. specified in the relevant notifications issued by the Ministry of the Environment.
2. In order to maintain the health and safety of the animals under their jurisdiction, prefectures and designated cities are empowered to issue standards to be followed by operators of the business dealing with animals in place of the standards outlined in the pervious paragraph in cases where such standards are considered necessary in the context of applicable natural or social conditions.
(Advices and Orders)
Article 12
1. If a prefectural governor considers that an operator of the business dealing with animals is in breach of the standards mentioned in Article 11, the prefectural governor may issue an advice to the operator of the business dealing with animals that they improve the structure of keeping facilities, animal care and management methods, etc. within a fixed period.
2. In the case that an operator of the business dealing with animals does not comply with an advice, as outlined in the preceding paragraph, issued by a prefectural governor, the prefectural governor may issue an order to the operator of the business dealing with animals that they take appropriate action with respect to the advice in question within a fixed period.
(Reports and Inspections)
Article 13
1. Prefectural governors may request an operator of the business dealing with animals to furnish a report concerning the condition of their keeping facilities, their animal care and management methods, and other items necessary for the execution of the provisions of Arti