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Urgent Report: The Rescued Pigs’ Journey and the Price They Paid

On May 19th and 20th, we went to a pig farm that was closing down to rescue eight pigs who had been left behind and were scheduled for slaughter. We planned to picked up two pigs for long-distance transport on the night of the 19th and transport the remaining six pigs from early morning on the 20th to finish before it get hot. The destination for these pigs is split between three locations: two pigs will go to the “Ehime Sanctuary (tentative name),” four pigs will go to the “Future Cottage for Animals,” and the remaining two pigs will go to the “Future Home for Animals.” These three locations together…

Baking with Care: MIHOPAN’s Pledge to Use Only Cage-Free Eggs

MIHOPAN, a sincere bakery in Higashi-Osaka City that has consistently provided bread made with carefully selected ingredients, has recently pledged to only use cage-free eggs moving forward, showing their support for the cage-free movement. The owner, Miho, became increasingly aware of the poor treatment of animals in Japan, especially those used for ingredients in her bread, such as domestic butter, eggs, and meat. As she delved deeper into the issue, she realized she could no longer continue using these products under the same conditions. Since then, she has been committed to selecting ingredients that consider animal welfare. MIHOPAN has already transitioned to using only cage-free eggs. Additionally, the menu items…

Please End Animal Use: Itoman Harly Duck Catching Competition

Animal Rights Center has been accusing the organizers of the Itoman Harley Duck Catching Competition of violating the Animal Welfare Act, but unfortunately, they were not prosecuted. However, the fact that they were not prosecuted does not mean that this act is not animal abuse. It clearly falls under the definition of animal abuse as defined by the Ministry of the Environment. Throwing ducks into the sea, where they have never swum before, and chasing them is inherently cruel. According to an article in the Ryukyu Shimpo, the Itoman History and Culture Research Institute’s Mr. Kinjyo states that duck catching competitions are not traditional or ritualistic. He mentions that before…

From Farm to Table: More Soup and Mendoriya Support Cage-Free Eggs

Two stores, “More Soup” in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, and “Mendoriya” in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, responded to inquiries from the Animal Rights Center, stating that they currently only use cage-free eggs and will never use caged eggs, thereby expressing their commitment to cage-free. 【More Soup】 More Soup is a café run by a farmer couple that offers dishes centered on organic vegetables. They serve pudding made with cage-free eggs. Koujizawa from More Soup is also the owner of KABA Farm and provides dishes made with their own proudly grown vegetables. 【Mendoriya】 Mendoriya is involved in cage-free poultry farming. They sell exquisite bread and sweets made with eggs from chickens…

Animal Welfare Award 2024: Recognizing Ajinomoto’s Efforts to Date

The Animal Welfare Award, presented annually to companies that have made effective contributions to domestic animal welfare, has selected the winners for the poultry and fish categories. The Animal Welfare Award is organized by the certified NPO Animal Rights Center, which aims to improve the welfare of farmed and aquatic animals. This award recognizes companies that have had the most significant impact on animal welfare during the previous year (April 2023 to March 2024) Chicken Award:Laying Hen Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Since identifying animal welfare issues for farmed animals through the company’s ethical report card in 2016, Ajinomoto has taken significant steps to address these concerns. They held a roundtable with…

We purchased land for pigs to live on: Pig Rescue

Animal Rights Center Japan is working hard to rescue eight pigs from the cages of a closing pig farm. However, it was discovered that the originally planned land could not be used to build houses for the pigs due to land use restrictions. As a result, with nowhere else for the four pigs to go, we hastily purchased land with a workshop for 8.5 million yen. The land is not large, so it will be limited to four of the eight pigs to be rescued this time. While it may be possible to keep more pigs if the living space is slightly smaller, we have ensured a certain size to…

Last Chance Rescue: Save 8 pigs from slaughter

This project started in March 2024, and we are currently working at a fast pace to prepare. Although we haven’t been able to share all the details yet, we are working as quickly as possible to free the pigs from their concrete pens. We will be releasing more information on this site and our social media. Please follow us! SOS! Please donate for the pigs’ new lives! We will provide updates and detailed cost breakdowns in the latest information below. Background of the Project At a pig farm nearing closure, there was a case of multi-animal hoarding and neglect involving dogs and cats. There, 9 pigs had been left behind…

Three Stores Pledge Forever Cage-Free Future

In response to inquiries from the Animal Rights Center Japan, three stores-“mojokado co.,ltd.” in Minamata City, Kumamoto Pref., “Organic Foods & Goods Shop poka poka” in Koshi City, Kumamoto Pref. and “Rice, natural food plus cafe Neko.” in Kurayoshi City, Totori Pref. -have pledged that all the eggs they currently handle are cage-free and have committed to never carrying cage eggs. [mojokado] Mojokado provides gift boxes full of organic vegetables made by the contracted farmers in Kumamoto Prefecture,  representing its concept “organic from Minamata, organic as it’s Minamata” via an online store to nationwide. [Natural food and goods shop poka poka] This store handles pesticide-free and chemical fertilizer-free vegetables, as…

Itoman Harley Festival Duck Abuse Case Referred to Prosecutors

We have been informed that a case, which has been under investigation after a complaint was filed with the Okinawa Prefectural Police against the Itoman Harley festival’s duck catching competition that took place on June 23, 2023, for violation of Article 44, Paragraph 2 (cruelty to animals) of the Animal Protection and Control Law, was referred to the public prosecutor’s office today. We hope that the prosecutors will make a fair and lawful decision. We also hope that the Itoman Harley committee will shift to holding the event in a way that does not use animals and that does not cause suffering to the vulnerable beings.

Exposed : Abuse of Dairy Cows at Ibaraki Animal Husbandry Center

There was a whistleblower to report repeated acts of violence, including attacking injured areas, at the Ibaraki Livestock Center. On February 19th, a joint complaint was filed with the Ibaraki Prefectural Police in the names of four organizations, Japan Anti-Vivisection Association (JAVA), PEACE (Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation), Certified NPO Citizens for Animal Protection Ibaraki Network (CAPIN), and Certified NPO Animal Rights Center Japan. Acts of violence, as shown in the video below, were carried out on a daily basis. At a first glance, it might appear as though they were just trying to move animals, but it’s clear that these acts of unnecessary violence were caused…

The First Ordeal of Broilers: The Hatchery

It is a well-known fact that male chicks from egg-laying hens are killed on the day of birth, but few people know that chickens raised for meat are similarly sorted on their first day, and “substandard” chicks are being killed on a daily basis. Chicks that are weak, have congenital shape anomalies such as too many legs, are too small, inflamed or dirty are considered “substandard.” Since about two out of every 100 chicks are killed, it is estimated that about 14 million birds (8 to 16 million birds) are killed immediately after birth in Japan each year. The most common way to kill chicks in the country is to…

TANTAN NOODLE RAKU, A Locally POPULAR RAMEN RESTAURANT, goes CAGE-FREE!

TANTAN NOODLE Raku, a locally popular ramen restaurant in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, places a strong emphasis on ethical choices through food, and proudly commits to using only cage-free eggs. In January 2024, in response to inquiries from the Animal Rights Center, they promised to never use caged eggs, and made a cage-free commitment. Their initiatives go beyond simply choosing ingredients for their menu; they provide an opportunity for the local community and consumers to think about food ethics. The secret to TANTAN NOODLE Raku’s popularity lies not only in its deliciousness of its food, but also in its ethical approach to the food it serves. The restaurant offers vegan…

STARTING FROM CAGE-FREE; CAFE KOBOREBI’S SOCIAL CHANGE

In August 2023, a stylish cafe named Koborebi opened in the heart of the Kameari Station Shopping Street in Katsushika-ku, Tokyo. The owner is particularly meticulous about the cafe’s exterior and interior design, selecting items from DIY and antique shops to create a relaxing and cozy atmosphere. The cafe is committed to using organic ingredients and exclusively cage-free eggs. The owner has made a cage-free commitment, promising to avoid the use of caged eggs now and future. The menu highlights animal welfare, notably in the description of its pudding made from cage-free eggs. Aiming to Be a Game-Changing Cafe The owner launched Koborebi with the ambition of effecting societal change…

Report: ESG Investment and Animal Welfare

In the realm of investment and financing, there is a gradual shift towards a society that places great importance on animal welfare. This is because the commitment to animal welfare can significantly impact a company’s value in the long term.  The Animal Rights Center Japan engaged with banks, credit unions, and institutional investors from 2022 to early 2023. An important revelation from this engagement was that many of them have a solid understanding of animal welfare, positively agree to integrate it into their business practices. After gaining an understanding of animal welfare through engagement, approximately 40% of the entities can effectively communicate the importance of animal welfare to their customers.…

Subsidies for In-Ovo Sexing Methods Increased to 500 Million Yen

Under the SBIR (Small/Startup Business Innovation Research) Phase 3 fund program by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the ministry has decided to subsidize companies engaged in genome editing for the project titled “Chicken industry innovation: effective resource utilization and animal welfare transformation through chicken egg sexing using genome editing.” The amount totals 539,161,000 yen. In fiscal 2021, Kyoto University was granted 25.87 million yen in subsidies for a challenging research project on the “development of a non-destructive measurement method that overcomes light scattering to determine the sex of chicken eggs in early incubation.” The 25 million grant is very small while Germany, for instance, has procured…

Aiming for a Future of 100% Cage-Free: Two Sustainable Confectioneries

We would like to introduce two stores that aim for 100% cage-free eggs. In Kyoto City, the confectionery store Ikeda makes dorayaki using cage-free eggs. They use eggs from Wabisuke, a reputable cage-free egg producer, and hope to achieve 100% cage-free status by 2030 if Wabisuke can keep up with the supply. ‘The price gap between cage and free-range eggs is gradually narrowing,’ says the store manager, and indeed it is. However, even if more confectioners start using cage-free eggs, the taste of Ikeda, with 20 years of craftsmanship, remains unparalleled. At events, Ikeda also sells plant-based dorayaki using beet sugar. Yokoi Farm in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, manufactures and…

Ninjin CLUB home delivery is earth-friendly and cage-free!

Ninjin (Carrot) Club, a membership-based home delivery service in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures, offers organically grown (partially pesticide-free/low pesticide-free) fruits and vegetables, food products made without additives from raw materials, and other carefully selected household goods. They are selling only cage-free chicken eggs, and have recently made a cage-free promise that they will continue to sell only cage-free chicken eggs in the future.Ninjin Club’s philosophy is to care for the earth, health, life, and food. Give prior to animals’ behavior when raising them Ninjin Club’s website states, ‘We respect the ecologically appropriate care of animals based on the concept of animal welfare, in which all animals live happily and…

616,864 Chickens Boiled Alive – Conditions at Japanese Poultry Slaughterhouses

The statistical data for poultry processing in fiscal year 2022 has been released. Unfortunately, the figures show a shocking number of chickens that were not properly processed and instead boiled alive. This resulted in their skin turning red and the chickens being discarded. The total number of such incidents was a record high of 616,864 birds, making it the worst year in terms of casualties. The extremely cruel act of boiling birds alive involves hanging chickens and ducks upside down by shackling their legs while they are conscious and attempting to cut their throats while they struggle and flail. This often fails to properly sever their necks, leaving them to…

Aoioto in Ibaraki Prefecture will make the transition to cage-free by 2025

Aoioto Co., Ltd., which operates “French Cafe in the Forest Aoioto” and “Cutlet Cafe Aoioto” in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and the sweets brand “amaioto” which was launched in July of this year, has decided to aim for a cage-free by 2025. The initiative for animal welfare began with the launch of the sweets brand “amaioto” in July 2023, with the concept of “the ultimate treat, the ultimate bite.” In the search for eggs to use in “amaioto,” they visited Obata Livestock, also located in Ibaraki Prefecture. After tasting the eggs and witnessing Obata Livestock employees gently interacting with the laying hens, they decided to use eggs from this farm.…

Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Emphasizes the Importance of Advancing Animal Welfare

On December 11, 2023, lawmaker Seiichi Kushida asked Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about animal welfare at a plenary session of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of Japan’s parlimament. Mr. Kushida explained how animal welfare efforts will impact investment and the country’s economy. “In the policy speech of the agriculture minister, there was absolutely no mentioning of animal welfare. Is it that animals don’t matter as long as people are happy? Animals are not objects. What is your perception of Japan being rated as the world’s coldest country to animals?,” he confronted the prime minister. In response to this question, Prime Minister Kishida emphasized the need to promote animal…