In Anicom's 2026 dog ranking, small mixed-breed 'MIX' dogs took first place for a second straight year with 30,061 entries, ahead of Toy Poodles and Chihuahuas. A look at the rise of small designer mixes, Japan's growing shelter-adoption culture, and why a pet insurer's annual dog census makes the news. What's the most popular dog where you live?
Electronics giant Panasonic hosted a Tokyo adoption event where 193 rescue dogs and cats met would-be families. A look at why a tech company backs animal welfare, and the company-NPO-newspaper model behind it.
At a major Japanese pet expo, a homegrown technology called Livnight grows a sparkling gem from a dog's ashes. It costs far less than an ash-diamond, actually out-sparkles one, and never leaves Japan. A clear look at why Livnight, plus the country's pet farewell culture.
Hospital Facility Dogs, canine 'medical staff' that report to the same Japanese pediatric hospital five days a week, will grow to seven teams nationwide by fiscal 2027. From Shizuoka to Hyogo and Tsukuba, we look at how Shine On! Kids built this uniquely structured program, why each dog costs roughly ¥12 million (about $76,000) a year to operate, and how donations and corporate partnerships are filling the gap.
Nlab Research polled 943 Japanese men on the 'coolest dog breed.' Akita took #1 with 9.5%, Doberman #2 with 8.8%. We unpack the male-specific trend, compare with women's results, and examine what Voicenote's panel composition tells us about who actually answered.
Students at Daigo Junior High in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto have collected aluminum cans from their homes since 1994 and turned them into cash for the Kansai Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Over 30 years the donations have reached 6,188,582 yen (about $39,400), enough to train two guide dogs. We unpack the school culture and the funding structure that make a 30-year relay possible.
Asahi Kasei Homes is expanding WanPod, its smart dog pod sharing service, to 30 commercial and tourism facilities around Tokyo from summer 2026. The climate-controlled private suites, with smart locks, monitoring cameras, music players and privacy curtains, logged 1,014 uses, zero accidents and 89% satisfaction in a year-long trial. In July a pod also went into a Tomei Expressway service area.
PETOKOTO and three partner organizations launched the Pet Guardianship Lab to tackle Japan's emerging 'pet refugee' crisis. As single households hit 40% and the population ages rapidly, a uniquely Japanese law-insurance-NGO consortium is building a safety net for pets whose owners die, are hospitalized, or develop dementia.
A lawsuit in Ehime, Japan exposes the danger of approaching working guide dogs after an off-leash dog caused a visually impaired woman to fall. With only 768 guide dogs serving Japan and 70.6% of users asking 'please don't touch,' here are the 7 things you must never do.
Japan has reduced dog and cat euthanasia by 99% over 50 years, yet 6,830 animals are still put down annually. Tokyo-based Signal Talk has launched 'Paw Me,' a service that lets users feed shelter animals remotely via smartphone. A new model of social participation for those who cannot keep pets due to allergies, age, or living situation.
A 2-year-old Pomeranian named Haku joined Japan's Miyazaki Prefectural Police as their first Pomeranian K-9. After being surrendered by his original owner, he passed a tough scent test in his very first year. Discover his trainer's story, Japan's growing small-breed police dog trend, and what makes Haku special. What unusual working dogs exist in your country?
Gifu Prefecture's first Shiba Inu police dog, 2-year-old Tsubu, passed a rigorous scent test to join the K-9 force alongside German Shepherds. Explore her story, the rise of small-breed police dogs in Japan, Japanese dog breeds, and where to meet Shibas. What unconventional working dogs exist in your country?
Morinaga released seven snacks on March 3, 2026 that owners and their dogs can eat together, a first in the confectioner's 126-year history. A joint study with Tokyo University of Agriculture tested what sharing food actually does, and a veterinarian supervised the recipes. Japan's pet market hit 1.91 trillion yen in fiscal 2024.