Ministry of the Environment definition: Making animals fight is illegal

Cockfighting is illegal.

As soon as 2 male gamecocks are placed in a pen, it can be illegal.

On 2022/4/28, Shizuka Terata questioned the illegality of cockfighting at the House of Councilors Environment Committee.

"Regarding Article 44, Paragraph 2, whose penal provisions have been tightened by the recent amendment, I think that making gamecocks fight itself may fall under the item of making a protected animal perform an act that may cause physical injury unreasonably, and is subject to the penalties of the Act on Welfare and Protection of Animals.  I would like to ask the opinion of the Ministry of the Environment."

In response to this, Director Okuda of the Ministry of the Environment replied as follows. (Since it’s difficult to understand, the main points are summarized)

The term “unreasonably” is used to mean “generally without good reason”, as is the general interpretation in other legislations.
Ultimately, the judiciary will make the decision according to the individual circumstances.
Cockfighting that is socially accepted as a traditional event may be acceptable if it does not use means or methods that exceed the required limits and cause distress to the animal.
Cockfighting for the purpose of entertainment is not justified and likely falls under cruelty.

Cockfighting reported to Animal Rights Center Japan and Cookhouse falls under entertainment. Even if the news media picks it up as a seasonal attraction only out of curiosity, it is different from traditional culture, and even if it were a traditional culture, if male gamecocks are made to fight, one of them will surely bleed or die. No matter what the excuses are for this situation, one is likely to be subject to penalties for causing excessive pain to the animal. There is basically no cockfight that can be open to the general public.

The answer cannot be decisively stated, as the judiciary should decide on the individual cases, but making male gamecocks fight is animal cruelty.

It doesn’t matter if there is an ordinance or not. All governments and citizens should be aware that all of it is illegal, no matter what prefecture it is done in.