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Japan’s National Daily Since 1922
(Mainichi Japan)
Japanese version
The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about Japan’s new system under which dog and cat breeders and sellers are obligated to implant microchips in the animals.
Question: What’s this new microchip system for pet dogs and cats that started this month in Japan all about?
Answer: Businesses that either breed or sell dogs and cats are now obligated to implant microchips in their animals before selling them. The cylindrical microchip is 1 to 2 millimeters across and 8 to 12 millimeters long. The businesses have professionals such as veterinarians implant the chips behind the necks of pets, using an instrument that looks like a syringe.
Q: Why has it become mandatory to implant the chips?
A: Because the system makes it easier to find owners when pets are either lost or abandoned. The microchip contains a 15-digit number, and pet sellers register information including the number, breed and date of birth in the central government’s database. In a sense, it’s like a tiny ID card. A total of about 150,000 dogs and cats had been registered under the new system by June 20. The business licenses of breeders and sellers that do not follow the rule may be revoked.
Q: Do pet owners also have to do anything?
A: They need to register their name, address and phone number within 30 days after buying a pet. Under the scheme, when a special microchip information reader scans over a dog or cat, their identification number is displayed, from which the owner’s name and contact information can be traced. Meanwhile, as for pets that have been kept since before June or are adopted later, owners are obligated to make efforts to implant the microchips, which each cost roughly 5,000 yen to 10,000 yen (about $37-73).
Q: Some dogs and cats have had microchips since before, haven’t they?
A: Some private groups voluntarily proceeded with promoting microchips and organizing a database after many dogs and cats were lost in the wake of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. However, with similar problems occurring again following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, a revision to the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals was enacted in 2019. As many as about 24,000 dogs and cats were taken in by local bodies and were put down in fiscal 2020. The revision to the law is aimed to make it easier to find owners and also reduce the number of irresponsible owners who abandon pets.
(Japanese original by Ei Okada, Science & Environment News Department)
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