Woman arrested for animal cruelty kept 58 pets in Tokyo home

Japan Today -- Apr 17
Police in Tokyo have arrested a 46-year-old woman for violating the animal welfare law after she kept five dogs in inhumane conditions at her home in Ota Ward.

Aki Kuwazoe, a self-proclaimed fortune teller, had a total of 58 animals from 24 species, including dogs, iguanas and crocodiles, at her house when she was arrested this week, Sankei Shimbun reported. Kuwazoe told police she kept buying animals because she couldn’t spend any money on travel due to the coronavirus over the past 12 months. She was quoted as saying, “I couldn’t keep up with the demand of taking care of the animals anymore.”

Kuwazaoe lives alone in a two-story home in the Kamata district of Ota Ward. The malnourished dogs were allowed to roam on the first floor. Additionally, the center of the room was covered in trampled feces about two centimeters in height. The remaining animals were kept on the second floor in cages that contained decomposing food and feces.

The rescued animals have since been placed in the custody of a nongovernmental organization. - Japan Today