This article is translated from Xinhua News Agency;
Beijing, August 27th (Xinhua) — Japanese officials said on the 27th that due to concerns about hygiene and animal welfare, the government plans to conduct a nationwide inspection of pet cafes in Japan.
An official from the Japanese Ministry of Environment, who declined to be named, told Agence France Presse that the ministry plans to start inspections as early as September. Firstly, basic information such as the number of coffee shops and the types of pets kept will be gathered, followed by checks on whether the stores comply with legal regulations, including the frequency of cleaning and whether there is sufficient animal activity space.
According to reports, there are hundreds of pet cafes in Japan that keep a wide variety of pets, including cats, dolphins, otters, raccoons, mini pigs, hedgehogs, owls, snakes, and more. Many animal rights activists have pointed out that these types of cafes not only have limited space for pet activities, but may also promote illegal hunting and trading of rare wild animals, and there is an urgent need to strengthen supervision.
The 2025 survey by the Japan branch of the World Wildlife Fund found that some pet cafes in Japan keep protected animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and some animals are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. In addition, some pet cafes have inadequate hygiene management, such as not reminding customers to wash their hands after coming into contact with animals, and some stores have detected pathogenic bacteria. (Yang Shuyi)