On June 8, 2022, a request letter was submitted to Prime Minister Kishida calling for the initiation of the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats.

The letter of request is a joint letter signed by 21 members from the Cross-party Animal Welfare Congressional Alliance, and is the second request following a letter submitted to then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga by 34 members of the same Congressional Alliance in December 2020.

The letter stated that they believe the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats will send a strong message to all nations that dogs and cats are not food for humans and the horrific barbaric practice must be stopped. The Kishida Cabinet is required to initiate the world’s first International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats.

In Japan, it is unclear who is in charge of dog and cat meat, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries? or the Ministry of the Environment? This is a major reason for the hesitation to prohibit dog and cat meat. The World Dog Alliance hopes that the Japanese government will establish a department with jurisdiction over dog and cat meat as soon as possible and move toward initiating the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats.