A horrific incident of animal cruelty recently occurred in Japan. A man named Makoto Oya slaughtered more than 13 cats by torturous methods, including burning them with a gas torch and pouring boiling hot water over them.

Despite the fact that he inflicted so much suffering and tore away so many lives, the current law of Japan sets very low punishments for violations of its animal welfare act. In most cases, criminals like Makoto Oya are released from prison with only a financial penalty.

To help bring these heartless murderers to justice, we ask that you please participate in the campaigns below:

Demand that Makoto Oya be sentenced to prison:

Japanese→https://goo.gl/cWgDqg

English→https://goo.gl/aVwRZh

Demand an amendment to Japan’s animal welfare law, strengthening punishments for cruelty to animals:

http://qq3q.biz/FU9L

We believe that each and every signature we collect will help to raise public awareness of this issue, thus bringing us a step closer to a legal amendment strengthening the 1973 Act on Welfare and Management of Animals.

Makoto Oya’s mass murder of cats

On August 27, 2017, suspect Makoto Oya, a tax accountant in Saitama, Japan was arrested for violation of the animal welfare act.

Makoto Oya was arrested on suspicion of catching cats with steel traps baited with food that he set in his yard, and slaughtering them using methods such as pouring boiling hot water over them again and again, and burning them with a gas torch.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department security section, suspect Makoto Oya slaughtered more than 13 cats over the course of a year and a half until April 2017, and uploaded videos of his crimes on a “Dislike animals thread” on Japan’s anonymous BBS site 2channel.

On the “Dislike animals thread,” members self-described as animal abuse lovers watch movies of animal slaughter for enjoyment, and post comments about how to kill animals. Suspect Makoto Oya was famous among them, and even addressed by other members as “God.”

The animal abuse lovers requested suspect Makoto Oya to slaughter cats in specific ways, and each time he committed a killing his method became crueler.

Even after his arrest, suspect Makoto Oya said, “it was pest extermination so it is not against the law,” and not only does he not regret the crime but he considers what he did justified.

Content of Abuse

Oya Makoto posted movies of himself slaughtering more than 13 cats on a video sharing website. After catching the cats in a cage to prevent them from escaping, he poured hot water over them little by little, again and again, and also used firecrackers and gas torches. After the cats stopped moving, they were taken out of the cage, had water injected into their genitals, or had their teeth cut off. The torture continued for more than 10 minutes in some videos. First video (47 seconds）

Posted 2016.3.25 Hot water was poured over a cat in a cage. The skin of its back came off, becoming bare. 2nd video (4 minutes)

Posted 2016.4.18 Hot water was repeatedly poured over a cat trapped inside a cage five times. Each time the abuser approached the cat with a pot of boiling water, the cat cried out in fear, but after the fifth time it laid down breathing roughly. 3rd video (1 minute, 3 seconds)

Posted 2016.6.5 Cat was dipped in and out of a pail full of boiling water again and again. At the end of the video the cat no longer moved. 4th video (5 minutes)

Posted 2016.6.5 Hot water was poured over a cat trapped inside a cage eight times. Each time the abuser approached it tried to crawl away, but at the end of the movie it laid down breathing roughly. 5th video (7 minutes, 30 seconds)

Posted 2016.11.22 A ladle was used to pour hot water little by little over a cat. Hot water was poured repeatedly eleven times, and after the cat became weak hot water was poured concentrated on its face. At the end the cat no longer moved. 6th video (11 minutes, 1 second)

Posted 2017.1.15 A firecracker was thrown inside a cat’s cage, and hot water was poured nine times. When it no longer moved, except for breathing roughly, it was taken out and water was injected into its genitals, and its teeth were cut off. At the end the cat no longer moved. 7th -10th videos From here on out the cruelty is even greater, and the photos have not been made publicly available. From the 7th movie on a gas torch was used along with hot water, escalating the cats’ suffering even more. After the cats became weak, gas torches were used concentrating on their eyes, the backs of their feet or genitals, and the torture continued. Quoted and translated from http://www.bethevoiceforanimals.com/cat/detail/id=76 Makoto Oya, having committed such demonic torture and attempted to justify it, must be sentenced to prison. Click to see more (Warning: detailed descriptions of extreme cruelty. Photo evidence available on source website) Show less

Penalty examples for animal abusers in Japan

Under Japan’s current animal welfare law, animal abusers are subject to imprisonment of two years of less, or a payment penalty of two million yen (about $18,000 USD) or less, but most cases to date have been sentenced with a payment penalty only or stay of execution.

Animals have been slaughtered meaninglessly, but mere monetary fines are given as punishment!

For example, Naoto Kitagawa taped the feet of a kitten, made it eat hot sauce, and crushed it to death in front of its mother by forcefully rubbing and pressing it, but was released with a payment penalty of 200 thousand yen by summary indictment.

And Jun Matsubara, who slaughtered a cat by cutting its ears, legs and neck, was sent to prison, but for only a short period of six months. There have been comments on his SNS that he has been killing cats again since his release.

Both Naoto Kitagawa and Jun Matsubara had posted videos and photos of their slaughter on the “Dislike animals thread,” just as suspect Makoto Oya did.

Problems with the current situation in Japan

1.) The weakness of current punishments for animal cruelty

The 1973 Act on Welfare and Management of Animals imposes penalties of two years’ prison time less, or a payment penalty of two million yen or less.

Because the maximum prison sentence is only two years, it may be subject to a stay of execution. Besides, nobody has actually been sentenced to imprisonment for two years, one year being the longest sentence served so far.

Since Makoto Oya is a tax accountant, a fine of two million yen will mean nothing to him, and provide little in the way of deterrence.

2.) The continued existence of the “Dislike animals thread” on the BBS site 2channel

On the popular site 2channel, there is a BBS for people who enjoy animal abuse, “Dislike animals @2channel BBS”

All videos that are thought to be Makoto Oya’s have been shared on this BBS. Members “praised” the torture movies, made requests for what kinds of video they wanted to see, and the torture escalated every time.

The presence of this sort of BBS is certain to give birth to the next Makoto Oya.

Comparison between Japan and countries abroad

Quoted and translated from http://goron.co/archives/1304

United Kingdom: 10 billion yen is donated to animal protection every year in England, and with very few exceptions, animal shelters do not euthanize potentially adoptable animals. An act on animal welfare was passed in the 18th century, proving how high the level of awareness towards animal welfare is in the U.K. I feel that the success of animal welfare causes in England showcase a strong humane spirit. “Humans and animals are equal, with the same rights to live. Human matters must not avoid the rights of animals.” Germany: Protection facilities for pets called tierheims exist in Germany, and the number of shelters that permit euthanasia of adoptable animals is a surprising zero. Some tierheims have up to 600 volunteers, and are financially supported 90% or more by donations. There are also animal police, comprised only of people who have passed strict training and tests, and they possess the same authority as ordinary police officers. We strongly feel that governmental and civil help is necessary to achieve the goal of zero animal euthanasia.

Ways you can help

1.) Sign these petitions demanding a prison sentence for Makoto Oya:

Japanese→https://goo.gl/cWgDqg

English→https://goo.gl/aVwRZh

By sentencing this demon to prison, we hope to trigger heavier punishment for animal abuse in the future.

2.) Sign this petition to demand an amendment to Japan’s animal welfare act:

http://qq3q.biz/FU9L

We want you to help strengthen the law on animal welfare in Japan.

3.) Spread the word!

After you have signed the petitions, please share them on your social networking platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. Every signature we collect will help to raise awareness of this issue, and help to bring about meaningful protection and justice for animals in Japan.