Is dog meat legal in Japan?

Legal / not prohibited

Dog meat consumption is legal in Japan, though rare, with historical records of sale and consumption.

Japan is one of 15 countries classified “Legal / not prohibited” for dog meat — 38% of the 39 with data.

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Dog meat
Last checked
15 September 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

South Korea
Banned Dog meat consumption, slaughter, and sale are banned in South Korea as of 2027.
North Korea
Legal / not prohibited Dog meat consumption and sale are legal in North Korea.
Taiwan
Banned Dog meat consumption, slaughter, and sale are banned in Taiwan since 2017.
Hong Kong
Banned Dog meat consumption, slaughter, and sale have been illegal since 1950.
Macau
Banned Dog meat consumption and commercial sale are illegal in Macau.
Philippines
Banned Dog meat slaughter and sale for human consumption is illegal since 2007.

Other laws in Japan

Fur Farming
Banned
Cosmetic Animal Testing
No ban
Plastic Bag Bans
Taxed / charged

Every law in Japan → · Where is dog meat banned? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.