Japan's "Dog Cat Peace Party" launched, set to run in July's House of Councillors election

The Animal Friendly Network reported on February 12, 2025.

Animal welfare can be included in the Constitution and, of course, dogs and cats can be included in the names of political parties. The 12 Peace Party announced today that it is launching a campaign in Japan for the Upper House elections in July.

The first political party with "animal protection" as its policy platform was founded in Germany in 1993, followed by Belgium and France. However, the Dutch "Animal Welfare Party" (Partij voor de Dieren, also known as PvdD), founded in 2002, has been the most successful and has always held seats in parliament. Today (2/12), the "Dog and Cat Peace Party" emerged in conservative Japan, setting a new world record by announcing on the same day that it would field candidates in the July House of Councillors election.

The "Dog Cat Peace Party" was founded by Mr. Genlin (Japanese name: Hiroshi Horiike), the founder of the World Dog Alliance, and the party representative is Mrs. Dewi (Japanese name: Nanako Nemoto), who is also famous in Japan. The two attended a press conference together today and spoke freely about their respective animal welfare and political ideologies in front of domestic and international media. The Japanese spelling of the "Dog Cat Peace Party" is "12 Peace Party." 1 and 2 are pronounced "Wang" and "Bin", and are nicknames for dogs and cats in Japanese. Therefore, the official date of the party has been decided as today, February 12th.

The 84-year-old Dewi is a legendary figure. She married Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, in 1962. After President Sukarno was placed under house arrest, she fled to France seeking political asylum, lived in New York, and finally returned to Japan to settle. She is active in high society and on variety shows on various TV stations. Although she often makes shocking statements, she is also very compassionate and cares for the weak. She is also active in disaster relief, and founded the non-profit organization " Earth Aid Society" . According to a report by the Central News Agency , she visited the disaster-stricken areas of the Hualien earthquake in Taiwan in June 2024 and donated 10 million yen.

Dewi, who has been fighting for "no-kill" rights for stray dogs and cats, said that taking on the role of leader of the Dog and Cat Peace Party would be her final battle to protect animal welfare. She will call on celebrities to take part in the July Upper House elections, where she will compete for two to five seats, and will work to raise awareness of animal welfare in Japan.

Genlin, founder of the World Dog Alliance, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four years in a row, answered questions from media in Korea, Taiwan, Japan and other countries and explained how the World Dog Alliance has become a powerful force in Taiwan, the United States, Shenzhen and Zhuhai in China, and Korea to promote the legislation of the ban on the consumption of dogs and cats. The World Dog Alliance was registered in Japan in 2018 and opened an office near the National Diet Building, but has also lobbied members of the Diet to establish a bipartisan animal welfare alliance and successfully signed a petition in support of the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats, but the bill to ban the consumption of dogs and cats has yet to be passed.

The Japanese "Dog and Cat Party" (renamed the "Dog Cat Peace Party" in 2024), registered in 2020, has stated that it will be committed to pursuing the rights and welfare of dogs and cats. It hopes to improve the social status of dogs and cats, and to create a harmonious society where humans and pets can coexist, where dog and cat owners can enjoy welfare policies. What do dogs and cats have to do with peace? Genlin also has a clear vision. In his view, the animal protection movement is the same as moral politics. In order to protect animals, we must first protect cats and dogs, which are humans' closest companions. He also uses "humans, animals, and the environment: the trinity, the eternal earth" as the core concept of new peace thought, pointing out that the abuse and consumption of cats and dogs are also part of human violence and struggle. If such evil deeds cannot be eradicated, world peace will eventually become an illusion. Therefore, he advocates incorporating the protection of cats, dogs, and animals into new peace research.

Due to the novel party name and the high popularity of Genlin and Dai Wei, the press conference held at The Capital Tokyo Hotel adjacent to the National Diet attracted about 100 media outlets and live streamers, including reporters from Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, and Taiwan's Jinwen Newspaper. They also asked questions one after another. Jinwen Newspaper correspondent Gao Shu Ling asked in fluent Japanese: "The law banning the consumption of dogs and cats in China was enacted at least 30 years earlier than the world expected. What has the World Dog Alliance done to promote the enactment of this law in Shenzhen and Zhuhai, China?" This attracted the attention of the entire audience.

After the press conference, the official website of the "Dog Cat Peace Party" ( "12 Peace Party ") was officially launched. Friends who are interested in the party's policies and future trends may wish to browse the website.

Originally published on Animal Friendly Network:

https://animal-friends.co/pet/48224/