Japan police arrest pet shop firm execs over suspected unlicensed injections

Osaka Prefectural Police made arrests on October 14, accusing four pet shop company officials of potentially injecting dogs and cats with unlicensed medicines. The suspects include Chikatsuna Amami, a 42-year-old head of A Pet, a pet shop operator based in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. The arrests were made under the Veterinarians Act, which prohibits non-veterinarians from providing medical treatment to animals.

Additionally, two veterinarians from Ibaraki Prefecture, Hiromi Noda and Toshimi Minetoma, were arrested on suspicion of transferring veterinary drugs to A Pet. They are suspected of having been involved in the illegal diversion of pharmaceuticals for an extended period. Three other A Pet executives, including department head Suguru Fukuhara and a supervising manager, were also arrested.

The Veterinarians Act forbids anyone other than a veterinarian from administering medical treatment to animals in professional settings. Amami and the others are suspected of conspiring between January 2025 and January 2026 to have unqualified employees administer injections to three dogs and six cats sold at four Osaka Prefecture stores.

The police have not confirmed if the arrested officials have admitted to the allegations. Police have confirmed that seven out of the nine animals injected died, but the exact cause remains unknown. The Osaka Prefectural Police believe that substandard unlicensed medical treatment may have been commonplace at the company.