Rabies Prevention Law

General Rules

Article 1 (Purpose)

　The purpose of the Rabies Prevention Law is to prevent the outbreak and spread of rabies and to eradicate rabies.

Article 3

　The prefectural governor shall appoint rabies prevention officers from among the employees of the relevant prefecture who are veterinarians.

Normal Measures

Article 4 (Registlation)

1. The owner of a dog shall apply for registration of the dog within 30 days from the date of acquisition of the dog (or from the date of expiration of 90 days in the case of a dog less than 90 days old)
2. Upon receiving the application, the mayor of the municipality will register the dog in the registry and issue an identification tag
3. The owner must keep the dog's identification tag on the dog

Article 5 (Preventive Shots)

1. Dog owners must have their dogs receive rabies shots once a year
2. The mayor of the municipality shall issue an injection slip to the owner of a dog that has received the injection
3. The owner must keep the injection slip on the dog

Article 6 (Detention)

　The prevention staff must detain,

Not registered (not wearing a dog tag)

A dog that has not been properly injected (not wearing the injection certificate)

If the owner of the dog is identified ⇒ The owner will be notified to pick up the dog

If the owner of the dog is not found ⇒ the municipality will be notified, and the municipality will publish the information for two days.

　If the owner does not pick up the dog within one day after that, the municipality will be allowed to kill the dog.

Article 7 (Import Quarantine)

　Dogs, etc. that have not been quarantined must not be exported or imported.

In the event of a rabies outbreak

Article 9

　Dogs diagnosed with rabies must be quarantined immediately. In the event of a rabies outbreak, the dog must be quarantined immediately, and if there is a danger to human life and it is unavoidable, the dog may be killed.

Article 11

　No killing is allowed without the permission of the prevention officer

Penalties

Article 27

　The following persons shall be punished by a fine of not more than 200,000 yen
1. A person who fails to report the dog and fails to wear the dog's identification tag in violation of Article 4
2. A person who, in violation of Article 5, fails to have his or her dog receive a preventive injection or fails to wear an injection certificate
3. Those who did not follow the quarantine instructions in Article 9
4. A person who has killed a dog in violation of Article 11