A growing trend among Japanese to keep dogs, cats and other animals as companions has turned the pet industry into a 1 trillion yen behemoth.
The Food Manufacturers Association said there are about 9.5 million dogs and around 7.1 million cats in Japan, which averages out to a pet in one in three households.
The industry includes pet shops, pet food manufacturers, animal clinics and kennels.
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.