The Animal Rights Center sent a protest to TBS Hiruobi on August 17, 2025, because of a scene in which animals were disrespected.
During the program, one retail store owner explained that pigs have gotten used to the heat and shipments have returned, and the studio laughed, saying, “Pigs can get used to the heat, can’t they? The topic then turned to the high price of eggs, and the anchor asked the retail owner with a laugh, “Hens can’t get used to the heat?” the anchor asked the retail store owner with a laugh, and the studio laughed even harder.
Think about it. Think of how much suffering animals suffer from the heat that so blatantly lowers meat and egg production…
Especially, there is no consideration for the chickens, which is why they cannot get used to the heat.
On some days, 100 to 200 chickens die in one day in one coop alone; starting in June, the coop is over 30 degrees Celsius, with days exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, and by the end of summer, the chickens are exhausted and deaths continue. There is no escape in the stuffy cages. Being kept in close proximity to other animals in hot weather makes it even hotter. When it is hot, chickens float their feathers to expose their sides to the air, but there is no space for this in cage keeping. The only way to do this is to keep their mouths open and keep breathing in agony.
This suffering was amusingly turned into laughter by the Hiruobi studio. This is unacceptable.
As a broadcaster, TBS broadcasts TV programs in accordance with the Radio Law. The Radio Law is a law intended for public welfare. Furthermore, TBS is one of the largest corporations, which means that its social responsibility is that great. There may have been a time a few decades ago when anything was fine as long as it was funny and entertaining, but not anymore.
In this day and age, I find it highly problematic for a TV station to disregard the suffering of animals and not even show consideration or appreciation for the animals whose lives are taken for food.
If you see a scene that disrespects animals, please send us your opinions. The people involved are not aware of it unless someone from the outside points it out to them (which is inherently bad for a company…). We need your opinions.
Opinions sent by the Animal Rights Center
In today’s Hiruobi, they discussed how pigs and chickens are losing production due to the heat. The studio laughed at the retailer’s statement that the pigs are used to the heat, and then laughed again when he asked if the chickens are not used to the heat. The extreme heat can kill 100 or 200 egg-laying hens in one day in one coop alone. Deaths increase in the latter half of the summer due to heat exhaustion. There are no air conditioners like for humans, and the hens are cramped in a small space, gasping for air and dying of exhaustion. Although there is ventilation, the outside air is also hot, and there is no ventilated airflow in the individually separated cages, so the air is stagnant. The situation is inhumane and disrespectful to the dignity of the creatures, who are amused and do not imagine how painful it is to die in the heat from which there is no escape. Animal welfare is now a matter of great importance, and programs that promote such cruelty ignore their social responsibility as mass media. We ask that you be aware of the weight of your responsibility as a media outlet that uses the public airwaves and is a major corporation, and that you review your code of ethics to ensure that there will be no such improprieties in the future. We look forward to your response.
