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…