- Although pets have long been around, the keeping of pets has gently boomed in Japan since the 1980s. The generally accepted reasons for this have been the increases in incomes and leisure time. However, another factor underlying pets' growing popularity has been the increasingly solitary nature of modern lifestyles caused by the recent graying of society and falling birthrate which has resulted in pets coming to be seen as members of the family rather than simply animals around the home.
- A further point to bear in mind is the fact that the development of simple pet foods and other pet care products and the burgeoning range of services and facilities for pets (such as pet hospitals, beauty parlors, hotels and training facilities) have made it easier to keep and look after pets.
- The number of pets and the number of households keeping pets are increasing year by year, and although there are no exact statistics on the subject, it is estimated that 10 million dogs and 7 million cats are now kept as pets. Some 30% of all households (45.06 million) keep a cat or dog, and a recent survey indicates that 50% of households keep a pet. The types of animals kept as pets include not only dogs and cats, but also goldfish, small birds, carp, colored carp, tropical fish, saltwater fish, medaka (killifish), turtles, and others.
- Being with cute, friendly animals is said to provide a sense of companionship similar to or even greater than that felt when with one's fellow humans, and this is reflected in the growing use of the term "companion animal" instead of "pet".
- In Japan, pets were traditionally fed on leftovers, and food made especially for pets?i.e. pet food?appeared at first to be an extravagance in Japanese eyes. As imported pet foods came onto the market, however, Japanese owners' fondness for their pets and the increase in living standards resulting from rising incomes made their use more convenient and realistic, and so pet food came to be used in Japan too.
- The first pet food appears to have a biscuit-type product that went on sale in Britain in around 1860. Canned and dried meat pet foods then appeared in the 1930s. In the 1960s, the range of products diversified with the development of various pet foods such as soft-dry and semi- moist types.
- It is unclear when pet food first appeared in Japan, but one theory has it that it was brought by US army serving in Japan. Nowadays, pet food is widely used by Japanese pet owners too, and pets are now far less likely to be fed on leftovers and leftover-rice with soy bean soup. Nevertheless, in terms of calories, pet food still accounts for a smaller proportion of pets' diets than in Europe and North America. The different figures reflect the fact that the keeping of animals qua pets is a more recent phenomenon in Japan.
- The earliest imports were mainly dry dog food and canned cat food, which were initially used by just a few dog and cat lovers. Around 30 years ago, however, domestically produced pet food went on sale, and use of pet food spread and became more common. Demand really began to increase from about 1985, since when imports have continued to increase.
- Pet food imports have grown as shown below:
1989 ¥28.695 billion
1993 ¥43.425 billion
1995 ¥53.612 billion
1997 ¥72.278 billion
1998 ¥75.170 billion
(Figures: Kobe Customs House)
Over 90% of imports have traditionally come from three countries: the USA, Australia and Thailand, all three of which have abundant supplies of livestock and seafood (which comprise the raw materials for pet food). In volume terms, 96.1% of the pet food distributed in Japan is cat or dog food, and in the case of imported pet food too, most is for cats (30%+) and dogs (60%).
- Broken down by country, the main sources of imports in 1998 were as follows:
| Country |
Volume |
Value |
Share in value terms
|
| USA |
174,075ton (107.7%)
|
¥29.1billion (110.5%) |
38.7% |
| Australia |
130,220ton (87.4%) |
¥15.6billion (83.6%) |
20.7% |
| Thailand |
80,504ton (104.5%) |
¥20.8billion (104.2%)
|
27.7% |
| Others |
? |
¥9.7billion |
12.9% |
(Source: Kobe Customs House)
(Figures in brackets indicate percentage change on the previous year.)
In fourth place for the first time was Argentina, which accounted for 2.5% of imports. The USA and Australia export mainly dry dog foods to Japan, while Thailand exports mostly canned cat food.
- Total domestic shipments in value terms are as follows:
| Year |
Amount |
% change compared previous years
|
| 1993 |
¥176.2billion |
108.6% |
| 1994 |
¥202.1billion |
114.7% |
| 1995 |
¥211.3billion |
104.6% |
| 1996 |
¥219.9billion |
104.1% |
| 1997 |
¥227.9billion |
103.6% |
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
- The expanding pet food market has attracted new entrants such as foreign-affiliated firms, joint ventures set up in association with foreign firms, fertilizer and livestock feed makers, food manufacturers and companies making marine products, resulting in considerable product development and fierce price competition. In an effort to cut costs, Japanese makers are increasingly moving their production operations offshore (to the USA, Australia and Thailand, etc.), and more distributors (such as supermarkets, DIY stores and convenience stores, etc.) are importing directly.
- Tastes in pet foods appear to mirror people's eating habits. For example, fish flavor cat food is preferred in Japan, while chicken flavor cat food is more popular in Europe and North America. The same brand can also taste differently in different parts of the world
- Both USA and Japanese manufacturers are investing heavily in R&D, resulting in a crop of new products. Although there was previously strong interest in pet foods made from expensive ingredients such as sole and turkey, the trend is now moving away from gourmet foods toward pet health foods. Japanese makers have developed products containing, for example, healthy ingredients such as Oligosaccharide, DHA (Docosa-Hexaenoic Acid) and Flavonoid (to prevent tooth decay), and the deodorizing constituent from green tea to reduce odors caused by pet urine and excrement. Also popular with owners concerned about the health of their pets are pet foods such as products made largely from avocado, and natural herbal pet health foods containing no additives. Products such as these are called "premium foods" or "super-premium foods".
- The main forms of pet food are:
- Dry pet food (foamed pet food containing about 10% water)
- Soft-dry pet food (foamed pet food containing about 25-35% water)
- Semi-moist pet food (unfoamed pet food containing about 25-35% water)
- Wet pet food (containing approximately 75% water)
- Other forms (biscuits, gum, dried meat and bone products, etc.)
- The Fair Trade Commission has a "Dog Food Fair Trade Council", and the dog food industry is self-regulated. The cat food industry too has recently adopted similar standards to become self-regulating. These self-imposed regulations require that the following items be displayed: (1) whether the product is cat food or dog food, (2) the volume of content, (3) method of supply, (4) date of manufacture, (5) ingredients, (6) raw materials, (7) country of origin, (8) manufacturer, and (9) distributor or importer. Moreover, as the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law also applies to pet foods containing antibiotics or antibacterial substances added for medicinal purposes, the manufacturer must consult the Pharmaceutical Affairs Office of the Hygiene Section in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Animal Industry Bureau prior to manufacture.
- The prospects for future growth are good due to factors such as (1) the availability of fewer leftovers for pets (such as fewer fish heads traditionally fed to pets due to fish now being sold filleted), (2) growth in the variety of foods available tailored to every stage of a pet's lifecycle (e.g. for puppies and kittens through to old dogs and cats), and (3) proportionately fewer pet owners using pet foods than in Europe and North America, which means there is greater potential for growth. And as demand grows, imports too are expected to increase.
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