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The combined-type children’s center FLOWER CHILDREN, located in Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture, has decided to use only cage-free eggs for its meals. FLOWER CHILDREN operates three businesses: a small-scale nursery, care for sick and convalescent children, and an after-school children’s classroom. They provide home-like, small-group childcare and education. From October 2023, the meals provided at the facility have been transitioned to organic, and at the same time, they switched to cage-free eggs. Even the mayonnaise has been changed to use cage-free eggs. ‘If We’re Switching, Let’s Make Everything Better’ According to the director of the children’s center, the decision to go cage-free was made with the intention of switching to…
There is no official data on the percentage of chickens raised cage free in Japan. This means that, while the overall number of the chickens kept is known, the government does not have accurate information on the raising methods used. In contrast, many European countries, the United States, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand keep such statistics. Just this past week, on October 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released data showing that as of June 2023, 38% of chickens in the country were not confined to cages. So what about Japan? The government uses the statistics released by the International Egg Commission that are based on the…
Mothers Co., Ltd., based in Shiraoi Town, Hokkaido, owns its own layer farms, and is popular for the sale of sweets made from eggs produced there. The Animal Rights Center has been urging the company, known for its understanding of animal welfare, to shift to cage-free farming for several years. Now, after reevaluating the relationship between chickens and humans through the COVID-19 pandemic and the avian influenza crisis, Mothers has decided to convert all of its farms to cage-free. Originally, one of the three buildings was cage-free, but preparations are now underway to convert the remaining two to cage-free (aviary systems). Soon, approximately 40,000 egg-laying hens will be housed in…
Takashimaya Farm is a natural food store operated by the well-trusted, long-established department store ‘Takashimaya’, incorporating advanced agricultural and food practices. Recently, buyers from Takashimaya Farm and the Animal Rights Center Japan had an opportunity for dialogue and confirmed that all the shell eggs sold are from cage-free sources. Having cage-free products among the items selected by the discerning buyers of a traditional department store represents a significant and valuable initiative for animal welfare. It truly is a fusion of tradition and cutting-edge practices. What is Cage-Free? 99% of Japan’s egg-laying chickens are kept in cages, which are cramped and unhealthy enclosures. These farming practices are globally shifting towards cage-free…
Since it’s scheduled to be reviewed in 2025, there has been a series of discussions on the Animal Welfare and Management Act. Together with Japan Anti-Vivisection Association (JAVA) and PEACE(Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation), the Animal Rights Center Japan compiled requests to further update the law. As we demanded for the revision in 2019, situations for livestock animals have improved significantly, so we’re focusing on what is yet to be realized this time around. In addition, we request the law be properly followed since it has not been strictly enforced lately. Transition to Animal Welfare(福祉)Act from Animal Protection(愛護)Act 1.Clarify animal welfare by changing to “the purpose of…
The cafe Seaside Table Egg in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, known for its dishes and sweets primarily made with eggs, has committed to using only cage-free eggs. Opened in May 2023, Seaside Table Egg is operated by Oakrich Inc., a company that produces free-range eggs. The menu at the cafe exclusively uses free-range eggs from Oakrich Co., Ltd. Mr. Togashi, the representative of Oakrich, chose free-range poultry farming to create eggs that meet his standards, based on the belief that good eggs can only come from healthy birds. Mr. Togashi’s passionate commitment to his chickens and free-range farming is detailed on their website. All our efforts, including free-range farming and…
Akidai, which operates supermarkets and other stores mainly in Tokyo, has begun handling animal- and environment-friendly cage-free eggs after discussions with the Animal Rights Center. Famous for its president appearing in the media every day, Akidai’s appeal lies in its quality products, reasonable pricing, and friendly customer service, and the like. Akidai sources products with the theme of ‘Quality and Price Without Compromise, Products We Want to Eat Ourselves. On the same day as the discussion with the Animal Rights Center Japan, Akidai promptly contacted the egg supplier to check the availability of cage-free eggs and began considering procurement., and they immediately commenced sales in-store. Below is a comment from…
The cafe GOOD HABIT in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, known for its scones and tea, has committed to cage-free. A cage-free commitment means either switching the cage eggs to cage-free eggs (such as barn-laid or free-range), or for company that are already using only cage-free eggs, it is a promise to consumers that they will continue to avoid using cage eggs. When the Animal Rights Center Japan contacted GOOD HABIT, we were surprised by the owner, Mrs. Yashima’s, great understanding of the cage-free movement. This was because Ms. Yashima had attended the Ethical Concierge Course hosted by the Ethical Association several times, including lectures by the Animal Rights Center Japan,…
In 2013, the Animal Rights Center signed a petition calling for the abolition of gestation stalls at five major Japanese meat companies: Nippon Ham, Prima Meat Packers, Itoham Foods, Starzen, and Marudai Food, and submitted the signatures collected that year. Ten years have elapsed since then, and all five companies have clarified their stance on the abolition of gestation stalls. Prima Meat Packers was the first company to make its position clear, stating in 2020 that it would not construct any new piggeries using gestation stalls in the future. Then, in November 2021, Nippon Ham announced that it would transition all gestation stalls on its domestic farms to herd rearing by…
Cafe Fuwa-Fuwa, a pancake specialty cafe in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, has made a cage-free commitment after informing us that all eggs used in the cafe are cage-free eggs in response to an inquiry from the Animal Rights Center Japan. A cage-free commitment is a promise to consumers to switch their eggs to cage-free eggs (barn-laid or free-range), or, for companies already using cage-free eggs, the promise to continue not using caged-eggs. The owner of Café Fuwa-fuwa became interested in organic and livestock production processes because of his own atopic disease. As he researched, he was shocked by the slaughtering methods of livestock animals and began to question the harsh…
On June 1, 2023, during a questioning of a witness at a meeting of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee, Councilor Noriko Ishigaki asked, “Is there an animal welfare problem with marbled beef?” In response to this question, Mr. Shinmura, who was invited as an expert on animal welfare, answered that there is no animal welfare issue, saying that the cattle should be raised properly and that it is a genetic factor. This is incorrect. There are a number of animal welfare issues associated with the farming practices conducted to produce marbled meat. How is marbled meat produced? It depends on limiting the intake of vitamin A, which is an…
Yubara Onsen Hakkei, located in Okayama Prefecture, has committed to cage-free. This ryokan has been serving only locally produced “Asahi no Kagayaki” cage-free eggs from Yubara, Maniwa City, and they also told us that they will be using cage -free eggs to make mayonnaise in their own kitchen from now on. Hakkei also offers vegan dishes with prior notice, as they want all customers to enjoy their cuisine. The proprietress of Hakkei, Ms. Kamishio, also has a deep love for animals and is active in the rescue of shelter dogs and cats. She is also deeply concerned about the poor conditions in which livestock animals are kept. She is concerned…
Repaco Ltd., which operates 14 stores in Fukushima Prefecture and other areas in Tohoku has committed to cage-free, showing consideration for the animal welfare of their egg-laying hens. Repaco Co., Ltd. started producing its own cage-free eggs in 2021. The eggs from hens raised on homemade fruit yeast feed are sold under the name “Fruit Eggs”. The following four photos are actual photos of Repaco’s barn-raised poultry The person in charge of Fruits & Eggs has already known that He says “A pastry chef who values quality ingredients personally developed eggs that met their own standards. ‘Fruit Eggs’ are used in all of Repaco’s pastries. We thought about what makes…
April 26th in 2023, a large farm housing 150,000 chicken hens died in a barn fire in Omitama, Ibaraki prefecture. No single chicken survived. They were stuck in their cages, waiting to die in fire. Just imagine their fear and agony. When you take a look at the media coverage, they report as though it was a relief since no humans died. No one reported what actually happened although the police and the fire stations were investigating this case so we inquired about this about 8 years ago. One fire station answered that they didn’t have any record since fires in farm houses were usually regarded as trivial. The newspaper…
Companies that have contributed to the spread of animal welfare The Animal Welfare Award (AWA) is an annual* award to express our gratitude to companies that have made animal welfare efforts with animals in mind in Japan, a country that lags behind the rest of the world in animal welfare for livestock and aquatic animals. We evaluated initiatives that we believe had the greatest possible impact from the perspective of the Animal Rights Center Japan, which is involved in activities to protect farm animals in Japan. *April 2022 – March 2023
International conferences, which had been blocked due to the Corona disaster, are now being held with the same level of glamour as in the past. International events that host dignitaries from various countries, promote exchanges among participants, and encourage media traffic are undoubtedly a great opportunity for animal welfare to make progress. Due to the corona outbreak that began in 2019, the Tokyo Olympics, which were scheduled to be held in 2020, were held the following year without spectators, which did not allow animal welfare to make the leap forward as envisioned before the corona. For the first time since then, the G7 summit is expected to be the first…
In Japan, pigs and cattle are basically stunned at slaughterhouses before being decapitated and bled to death. However, this process is not 100% complete. This is because it fails. If the fainting process works correctly, the animal will suffer less pain and fear in the final stages. Therefore, efforts to improve the accuracy and reduce the number of failures must always be ongoing. Even one failure from the human point of view is a 100% failure for the animal, and there is no way to recover from it. This Japanese video is from a very common slaughterhouse. Failures are very common. Some people who have visited slaughterhouses will say “it…
The avian flu is raging and companies are being forced to stop producing and selling egg products. This seems to be a major opportunity for food companies to learn about the risks of livestock production for the first time since the mad cow disease. The current avian influenza pandemic is one of the H5N1 subtype A influenza viruses, which mutated into a highly pathogenic strain in 2003 and is potent in several ways. Development of Avian Influenza Avian influenza is a type A flu that infects humans, pigs, and many other animals, all of which come from birds. Originally circulating in waterfowl as a natural host, the virus has infected…
558,181 chickens were boiled alive in 2021, revealed by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) data. The number had continuously increased and hit the worst in 2021, which indicates there had been no efforts to minimize such errors at the slaughterhouses. There are two types of facilities when we talk about slaughterhouses for chickens. One is to slaughter chickens for meat, and the other is to cull laying hens. In 2021, the number increased in the facility to kill chickens for meat while we saw slight improvements in the facility for hens. The impact is huge for the former facility since over 700 million birds are killed for…
What is necessary to resolve the common issue of human beings, the earth and animals is to change animal proteins to better ones and intake them less. Efforts to save animals, promoting animal welfare and veganism are inseparable, as are two wheels of a vehicle. Now that companies are required to work on solving social issues through their core business, the Imperial Hotel TOKYO, after a talk with Animal Rights Center Japan, has started offering “vegan French gastronomy” and “banana smoothie with soy milk and soy flour” as wellness accommodation at the end of last year. Furthermore, they announced they will offer a “sustainable room service plan,” in which people…
The multi-partisan parliamentary group aiming for zero killing of dogs and cats has established a project team for amending the Animal Welfare Act. Since its launch on August 25, 2023, the PT has held 21 meetings to hear from stakeholders and deliberate on the direction of amendments. Out of these 21 sessions, however, only one touched on livestock animals, and just one on laboratory animals. Despite 1 billion livestock animals being killed annually, the issue remains far from the priorities of lawmakers. In the sole PT meeting addressing livestock, the discussions showed promise, but it is unlikely to expect significant amendments by 2025 at this rate. 17th PT: Hearings on…
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