Eating animals?

Question

HONEST answers only please

Ok I've heard that people in China and Japan and related areas kill dogs and cats and like...eat them. Is that true? How often does this happen and what is the animal cruelty rate in Japan?

Answer 1

Regarding the eating of dogs and cats in other cultures:
http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/03/9/dogs.catseatenAsia903.html
Animal People News is "widely respected and recognized as the 'watchdog' reporting publication for the world's animal protection movement."
http://www.21stcenturycares.org/2003natexp.htm

Regarding the animal cruelty rate in Japan:
"In Japan, animal cruelty laws historically were lax and seldom enforced. The 2002 Japan animal cruelty case lead to the first animal cruelty felony conviction in Japan. The case awakened a movement to strengthen animal cruelty laws."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_to_animals

"Cultural relativism holds that "good" means what is "socially approved" by the majority in a given culture. Infanticide, for example, isn't good or bad objectively; rather it's good in a society that approves of it, but bad in one that disapproves of it.

Cultural relativists see morality as a product of culture. They think that societies disagree widely about morality, and that we have no clear way to resolve the differences. They conclude that there are no objective values. Cultural relativists view themselves as tolerant; they see other cultures, not as 'wrong,' but as 'different.' "
http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/et/et-01-00.htm

Though the majority of US citizens think it's acceptable to eat cow or pig, there are cultures that think that's abhorent. Hindus in India generally do not eat beef. "Both Islam and Judaism forbid the eating of pork in any form, considering the pig to be an unclean animal: no form of pig meat can be kosher or halal."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig#As_food

Taboo food and drink:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo_food_and_drink#Taboo_meats

I could go on and on here, but I think you get the idea. This is a subject that has many components and is rife with controversy. I think tolerance and respect for persons of other cultures is an important idea here. By the way, I'm a vegetarian. I practice being nonjudgmental anytime I eat with a carnivore. Peace to you on your journey.

Answer 2

Try not to confuse Japan with China. They are very different countries with very different peoples. Japanese don't eat dogs/cats ! I'd guess the animal cruelty rate in Japan is much lower than it is in the US. New York City has a higher crime rate than the whole country of Japan !

Answer 3

Chinese eat dogs and cats, and Japanese don't eat both of them (This means Japanese don't consider cats and dogs to be food),

Chinese menu:
http://www.stuffemal.com/misc/SanFranCthulhu/pages/NewsChineseMenu.html
http://www.eatingchina.com/resources.html#dog


Although Japanese don't eat cats and dogs, however, they have been killing dogs and cats to use their skins for making a traditional musical instrument called SHAMISEN.

Shamisen (Japanese musical instrument) :
http://www.lightbrigade.demon.co.uk/Breakdown/Instruments.htm
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/master/tsugaru/history02.html

( Today, learning and playing Shamisen as hobby is not popular like old time, and I think the demand for dog and cat skin for the instrument in Japan has been much less than the demand for dog and cat meat for Chinese dishes in China.

Animal walfare issue in Japan:
In Japan, many cats are walking around towns freely. Although some of those cats don't have owner, are often feeded by people in the area who care of the cats.

On the other hand, some unfortunate cats, and many dogs which go out during day time not accompanied by their owners ,or which owned by nobody are caught by the catchers of the public health centers in their area.
When the owner of dogs and cats didn't come to fetch their pets within a week,perhaps between 2 to7 days, those dogs and cats are considered as throwing away pets, and were killed immediately. Just from this year, 2006, Ministry of the Environment starts importing a new system to found new owners of throwing away dogs and cats. Under the new system, lucky throwing away dogs and cats would be adopted by foster parents via the database on the website www.jawn.jp/ (Japanese language only).

Answer 4

Eating dogs (and cats, pigs, chickens, sheep, cows, horses etc.) is now a cultural thing - but it started off as a necessity!!

People NEED protein! If we don't get enough of it, we develop all sorts of disabilities - or die!

People in Japan have never eaten dogs, or cats. They have never needed to!! There were FISH to be caught, in the seas and the rivers, and with a good way to preserve fish there was never a severe lack of protein! Now Japanese people eat meat of course, including horse, but not including dogs or cats!!Actually, the Japanese picked up the meat-eating habit from British and American visitors about 150 years ago..!

China & Korea have a tradition of eating dogs, and the occasional cat, because they have less access to fish, and a much larger land mass than Japan, and there are not enough indigenous animals which are suitable for eating - except dogs! Now the situation in both countries has improved, and less dogs are eaten - but old habits die hard, and some people in China LIKE to eat dog meat! They enjoy the taste! In the same way that YOU enjoy the taste of things that YOU ate as a child!

Why do you equate eating dogs with animal cruelty? Don't you realise that a Chinese farmed dog is no different to the sheep running around in fields near you? The animal cruelty rate isn't high in Japan by the way, in fact I think it's lower than in England. (Unless you count 'dressing up' dogs in silly costumes, and carrying them around everywhere as 'cruelty'?!!?!)

Answer 5

HONEST ANSWER ....

I haven't come across any cruelty to dogs or cats in Okinawa - Japan. They are considered as a status symbol for many.. as pets as well as companions in the home.

Although I did come across Ostrich and Horse meat.

If you're looking for writing up a story on animal cruelty - try the South-East Asian countries.

Answer 6

♡I'm so surprised to see this Q. asked so often. People in Japan DO NOT "kill dogs and cats and like...eat them." I think most Japanese PREFER FISH, seafood.(*^o^*) A few people here in Japan I know don't even eat meat of any kind. I think I can safely say, it never happens in Japan. As for the animal cruelty rate in Japan...Oh geez! If you were here, you'd laugh! SOME dogs are treated like babies! There are SOME people who always CARRY their dogs around. They have cute clothes, accessories...
http://chiwawagaga.com/Images/gallery/abby_asian.jpg
http://millet.a-thera.jp/image/5588.jpg
http://scor.oops.jp/551/2002/111-1133_IMG.JPG
http://www.reys-room.net/bbs/img/597.jpg
There are many hotels and resorts that cater just to people with dogs/pets.
http://urawa.cool.ne.jp/daxdax/enjoy/yamanakako1.htm
http://www.hgp.co.jp/inf/ad/dogweb/
There are cafes, restaurants and such that allow the pet owner to eat with their pet... I have seen dog/pet hot spring! I could go on, but you should really come here and visit and see for yourself. Seeing is believing! ♡

Answer 7

People in China and Korea do eat cats and dogs. But I have not heard being done in Japan. The way the Japanese lavish their pets, I think it is unlikely that they eat them. So you can be reassured about this in Japan.

Answer 8

I have lived in both Korea and Japan. Both Countries eat a lot of weird foods.

Japan; Eat whale

Korea; Eat Dog and fried silk worms. Eating dog in Korea is like eating deer in the U.S.. Not everyone eats it and it cost a lot. Mostly older people eat it too. People under 40 don't eat dog very much.

Answer 9

Don't mix with Koreans.

There are more than 20 countries in Asia.
And the area of China, Taiwan, North/South Korea and Japan are called East Asia.

Each country, those 20 countries, has different culture and language individually.
U better try not to mention them in one word.

They are not like South American countriess. Asia doesn't give up their own languages and culture like them.
(ppl don't speak Portugal or Spanish, even English as their main language.)

Answer 10

Japanese people don't eat dog.

Animal Cruelty Rate? I would say whoe lot lower than the united states or europe.

In Japan, they don't realy eat baby cow, baby sheep. They eat small amount of meat that whole entire famly of four can have meal for a week with the size of giant steak served in united states. They don't go shooting ducks, deers, or bunnies for fun.

Answer 11

I'm Japanese and I live in Japan- I have NEVER killed a dog or cat and eaten it or for any other reason. Nor has anyone I know.～☆ Perhaps some cultures do but it's no different than anyone who eats beef, pork, fish or chicken or whatever. Think about it please!