Television celebrity Dewi Sukarno, who was once the third wife of former Indonesian President Sukarno, has announced the launch of a political group for animal protection in Japan.
She aims to field candidates in this summer's election for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament. As head of the group, Dewi herself plans to run after reacquiring Japanese nationality.
Animal protection is the core policy of the new group, which is named 12 Heiwa To. Heiwa means peace, while 12 can be read as "wan-nyan," a combination of Japanese onomatopoeia for the sounds of a barking dog and a cat meowing.
At a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, Dewi said that the first and most important measure the group aims to achieve is the enactment of a law against eating dogs and cats.
The group says in its constitution that it will protect dogs and work toward coexistence with humanity. The group also aims to set up a special institution policing animal abuse and toughen penalties for such acts.
At the news conference, election planner Shinnosuke Fujikawa said that the group's Upper House election target is to win at least two or three seats.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.