Pet Culture in Japan (2024)

With the rise in popularity of cat cafes, shibas, and themanyanimal islands located in Japan, one might wonder what it’s like to own a pet there. Is it different from what we’re used to in the West? What kinds of pets dopeople own in Japan, and what kinds of laws exist around them?

Over the last few decades, the pet industry in Japan has grown to be worth more than 1.4 trillion yen. This includes both private pet adoptions from large, big-name pet storesand the many popular pet accessories one can seeadorning pets on the streets of Tokyo.Given Japan'sdifficulties dealing with a declining birth rate,it makes sense that the number of pets in Japan now outnumbers the number of children. Talk about cat and dog moms and dads! Of those pets, cats (neko) have recently overtaken dogs (inu) as the most popular household pets, with an estimated 9.6 million homes owning a cat and 8.5 million owning a dog. Compare that to 69 million homes in the US owning dogs, with 45 million owning cats.

The types of pets don’t stop there, however. Like in the US, reptiles are also popular pets, from lizards to geckos to snakes, not to mention small birds, fish, and turtles. One of Japan'smore peculiar pet types isinsects! Apopular choice for young boys, stag beetles are one of the most common.

The laws surrounding pets in Japan start at the national level and can extend all the way down to the municipal level. This includes how and when pets need to be registered, how often they need to be vaccinated, which vaccinations they need, and in the case of exotic pets, whether you’re even allowed to own them! When visiting one of the popular pet store chains like Aeon Pet, Coo and Riku, or Kojima, you may be surprised to learn that you're just as likely to find a 410,000-yen newborn chihuahua as you are a rhesus monkey. If you’re used to browsing Instagram and other social media (and the algorithm points you in that direction), you might have even seen some videos of Japanese pet owners sharing videos of bushbabies, hedgehogs, exotic birds,or even elderlyJapanese men taking their land tortoises for a walk through the streets of Tokyo.