News On Japan

Dogs and cats help heal COVID-19 loneliness in Japan

Oct 31 (Japan Times) - Animal therapy, designed to heal people through contact with animals, is spreading in Japan amid the COVID-19 crisis.

A university in Tokyo has hosted a session to introduce therapy dogs to students and alleviate their loneliness attributed to the prolonged novel coronavirus crisis, while facilities for disabled people are developing environments that allow residents to live with animals.

The Japanese Animal Hospital Association (JAHA), a public interest incorporated association in Tokyo, has been dispatching therapy dogs since 1986. It dispatches such animals around 1,000 times annually.

The therapy pet services can be so popular, JAHA mentions, that sometimes they don’t have enough animals and volunteers to dispatch.

The Environment Ministry is also paying close attention to animal therapy initiatives as they may have a key role is reducing the number of animals being culled in Japan.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The Emperor and Empress of Japan, on an official visit to the United Kingdom, departed Buckingham Palace by car after attending a luncheon.

Countries are struggling to find contractors to complete the construction of complex pavilions before the opening ceremony of the Osaka-Kansai Expo on April 12 next year, while some participants feel uneasy about the potential for methane gas accidents.

A 26-year-old nursery teacher has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a child at a daycare center in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, including forcefully pulling the child's hair.

A dramatic rescue took place near JR Inari Station in Kyoto on June 23rd, captured by a motorcycle's dashcam. The footage shows a railroad crossing with the barrier down, and an elderly woman lying on the tracks.

According to the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, a Japanese mother and her preschool child were attacked by a man believed to be Chinese while waiting at a bus stop in Suzhou on the afternoon of June 24.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Over 20 million yen in damages are suspected from a series of robbery incidents involving forced intoxication.

A dramatic rescue took place near JR Inari Station in Kyoto on June 23rd, captured by a motorcycle's dashcam. The footage shows a railroad crossing with the barrier down, and an elderly woman lying on the tracks.

According to the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, a Japanese mother and her preschool child were attacked by a man believed to be Chinese while waiting at a bus stop in Suzhou on the afternoon of June 24.

In Hokkaido, where bear attacks on cattle have been frequent, stray dogs exhibit wolf-like behavior have now become a serious issue. On June 19, footage captured in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, showed a stray dog rushing out aggressively towards an already formed pack. This region has been plagued by the problem of stray dogs for around 20 years due to uncontrolled breeding.

The series 'Sonaeru,' which focuses on disaster preparedness, brings attention to an incident from July 2023 when record-breaking rainfall in Fukuoka Prefecture's Kurume City triggered a massive landslide in the Minoo Mountains, resulting in one fatality. This region faced a similar disaster 300 years ago, with historical documents offering clues on how to prepare for such unexpected events.

Japanese police are stepping up efforts to crack down on the designated gangs Yamaguchi-gumi and Kizuna-kai whose rivalry continues.

In July two years ago, former Prime Minister Abe was shot and killed. It has been revealed that the man accused in the incident said he 'did not expect the situation to become what it is now.'

Police in central Japan are investigating the possibility of a bear attack following the grim discovery of a man in his 50s found dead in a forest with claw marks on his face and back.