TARGET: $30,000 USD to bring Japanese and international activists together

SUBJECTS: Animals in Entertainment, Human Companion Animal Welfare Policies, The Bear Bile Market

Are you outraged with the killing of dolphins in Japan? Do you want the senseless, poorly-excused slaughter to end? The movie “The Cove” was great in bringing attention to the problem, and non-Japanese activists have passionately revealed the terrible actions in this one Japanese town. But sadly it hasn’t led to any change in the situation.

There is a solution to the problem, but like many things in Japan, it won’t come from the outside – it must come from within.

For more than 20 years, small groups of dedicated Japanese activists have been documenting, reporting and campaigning to stop the slaughter in Taiji. Their knowledge is indispensable to understanding the cultural and political forces that sustain dolphin hunting. In order to make effective change, these Japanese need to come together with foreign activists in a structured event to share their knowledge and passion in order to determine strategies to stop the killing. 

Do you know how behind the times Companion Animal welfare policies in Japan are? While there are hundreds of small independent animal welfare groups in Japan, formal and informal, they often operate in isolation from one another or in small, loose-knit coalitions. As a whole, they lack the coordination to attack the source of problems and effect the major changes that are needed in Japanese policy for Companion Animals, and they are undertrained in how to manage their own shelters or animal populations properly. Most are cut-off from the international animal welfare community and lack knowledge of the actions and standards that are used in other countries. The country needs to see the formation of the kind of strong, coordinated and private NPO Companion Animals welfare organizations that exist in Europe, North America and forward-looking Asian countries. 

If you want to see Japan take the right steps to end the capture of dolphins for entertainment purposes or their slaughter, and to improve the policies that govern animal welfare in Japan, then we need your help to support a meeting of Japanese and foreign animal welfare experts and activists. On May 9^th-11^th in Tokyo we are organizing the “Japan For Animals” conference to bring together such groups to build lasting bridges between them for long-term cooperation. The conference will address the capture, slaughter and use of dolphins and other wild animals in entertainment in Japanese aquariums and zoos; bear bile sales and farming in Japan; and the promotion of humane management of pet populations and legislation to increase protection of human companion animals. See the full proposed conference program here. To make this event happen, we need to raise funds for 100 to 200 people to develop effective strategies for campaigners to appeal to Japanese people and the Japanese national government.

We need to raise 30,000 USD to make this event happen. These funds will cover the costs for the following requirements to host a 3 day event in Tokyo:

Venues

Documentation and print materials  

Event planning  

Event staff  

Simultaneous translation  

The aim of the conference is to: 1) establish direct lines of communication between Japanese animal welfare groups and regional organizations. 2) to empower Japanese groups to forcefully address the issues they confront internally in the country; and 3) to find ways for both sides to support each other in the future.

Japanese activism against the dolphin hunts, bear bile and abuse of pets is starting to gain momentum now in Japan. The funds raised will be used to facilitate the attendance at the conference of key people particularly from within Japan.  The attendees will be both participants and key speakers some of whom will be travelling from remote areas of the country.  Event literature and expenses such as translation fees, conference staff and meals will also require to be covered.

Please support us by donating to or sponsoring this groundbreaking conference for Japan. Together we can make a difference and put an end to ways of treating animals that are tragic remnants of the past and don’t represent the modern Japan that wants to count itself as a member of the leading counties of the world.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact the event Secretariat directly.