There is a dog epidemic in Tokyo.
In Japan, dogs have to be registered. However, no one really controls you, and many owners who have multiple dogs, let alone dog hoarders, just register one. Therefore, no one knows the correct number of dogs in Tokyo.
When the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare conducted a voluntary “survey” in 2012, it found that 513,250 dogs were registered in Tokyo. That number is very unrealistic; it is far foo low.
If you happen to live in the suburbs of Tokyo, you will see more dogs than kids aged one to six years.
There are dogs everywhere, as their owners are often obliged to go out for a walk and a stroll with their pets “to do their thing.”
Owners mostly collect the dog shit off the streets, but still, it is not a pleasant sight.
It wouldn’t surprise us if the the number of dogs per capita in Japan outranked the number of children born to any woman.
The Japan Times reported in 2014 that “the nation;s total pet population is 22 million, over 5 million more than the number of children under 15.” This sounds more realistic, but was before the pet boom years of 2015 to 2019.
The dog density is also a hygiene problem for Tokyo that has few greenery for so many dogs. Go to any one of Tokyo’s dense parks in the late evening and you will see hundreds of dog schools on the grass.
The dog is not just the best friend of families, but also a substitute for children, and a companion for the elderly.
If nothing is done in terms of social awareness, the dogs of Tokyo will quietly outnumber the children.
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