Member of the House of Representatives Maki Yoshio raised a Parliamentary Question to promote animal welfare.

In the current session of the National Diet of Japan, a total of 270 Parliamentary Questions have been raised, but questions related to animal welfare and animal protection are unprecedented.

This Parliamentary Question quotes the success of Britain, Sweden and Taiwan, and urges the Japanese government to include animal welfare in the compulsory education curriculum to keep up with the international trend.

On December 3, 2020, the “Parliamentary League for Animal Welfare” submitted a letter on the “International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats” to the Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato. The League is now requesting a response from the government.

The government cabinet has decided to respond to the League on June 18 (Friday).

The World Dog Alliance has been cooperating with Japanese lawmakers who value animal welfare to promote the “International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats” .

The Parliamentary Question is as follows.

What is a Parliamentary Question?

Members of the National Diet of Japan have the right to raise written questions to the Cabinet with a brief summary of the questions. It requires the approval from the Speaker. (Article 74 of the Parliament Act)

An approved Parliamentary Question will be sent to the cabinet, and must be responded within 7 days. (Article 75 of the Parliamentary Act)

In principle, the Cabinet will only respond with a written “Response Statement”. The “Response Statement” is written by official departments, reviewed by the Cabinet Legislative Affairs Bureau and voted by the Cabinet prior to its submission to the Speaker.

Reference: https://www.sangiin.go.jp/japanese/aramashi/keyword/situmon.html