Japan has hundreds of the cafes where campaigners say animals are sometimes kept in cramped spaces, and that their popularity encourages the capture and illegal trade of rare wildlife.
A fact-finding survey will begin as early as next month, starting with obtaining basic facts such as the number of establishments and what animals they keep, an environment ministry official told AFP.
A cat sits on a bench in a whimsical Tokyo cat cafe interior, Tokyo, in 2019. Photo by Pexels
The ministry will examine whether they comply with relevant laws, including whether animals have enough space and how often cleaning takes place, said the official, without wishing to be named.
"We may then do on-site inspections if we find facilities that appear to be breaching rules" stipulated by the animal welfare law, he said.
