On May 2018 when I joined World Dog Alliance, I was just a rookie 96 Fighter. Not long after, Saint Dog assigned an important mission to me — investigation on dog meat restaurants in Japan.
It started with the news that dog meat restaurants were found in Nishikawaguchi, which was widely reported by Japanese media. We were shocked after learning that. Japan was an advanced animal loving country, especially when it came to dogs and cats. To unveil the truth, Genlin, who was a Japanese national, sent me to Tokyo for a field investigation.
My first target was Ikebukuro. From the train station I walked across a street full of restaurants. I randomly entered one called “Raku Raku Ya” with my hidden cam turned on to try my luck. To my surprise, a big menu titled “Dog Meat” on the wall was the first thing that came into my sight. I asked the waiter if there was any stock left. He answered without hesitation, ‘there is a ton in our kitchen.”
I continued to search for evidence in supermarkets, grocery stores and Frozen meat shops. The search ended up with a conclusion that over 100 dog meat restaurants existed in Japan. 453 tonnes of dog meat had been imported to Japan in the past 15 years. That amount of meat was equivalent to 100,000 dogs slaughtered. WDA presented the data to Japanese legislator, Library of the National Diet, officials of the Ministry of Environment and the Minister of Environment. Our findings caused a profound impact on the National Diet of Japan, solidifying the foundation for Japan to ratify the International Convention to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats.
Gordon Mak