Pets in Contemporary Japan: Between Commodification, Family Membership, and Animal Welfare Challenges

Pet-keeping practices in Japan display striking regional and urban–rural differences. Urban environments impose spatial regulations and restrictions (e.g. regarding transport, leashing, and defecation): While very small companion dogs are enjoying top popularity, some are solely kept indoors or are transported in strollers. In rural areas dogs are more commonly kept outdoors, and some “neighborhood cats” receive collective care. Cultural notions of “appropriate” pet care in life, dying and death in Japan differ from Western models: Political and legal protections of animals differ, as well as the fundamental understanding of what animal welfare means. 

Drawing on statistical data, interviews, participant observation, as well as media discourse analysis, Barbara Holthus explores the multifaceted roles of pets in Japan. In this talk, she examines how pets mediate human well-being and loneliness and how they are integrated into human religious practices as well as the work of animal welfare organisations in Japan and the…