
AFP: Japan to tighten control over pet shops amic concerns of cruelty
Japan's ruling party said Thursday it planned to tighten rules on selling domestic animals amid concern that dogs and cats are being mistreated as the number of unregulated online pet shops rises..."We are seeing an increasing number of Internet pet vendors, but we have no knowledge of whether their animals are well fed and kept in sanitary conditions because all they have to do is notify municipalities that they are selling pets."
...Japan is a nation of animal lovers, with many single professionals paying top yen to pamper their pets, although in some rural areas forcing dogs to fight each other is a traditional sport.