Surviving with Companion Animals in Japan: Life after a Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster (Palgrave Studies in Animals and Social Problems)

This book examines how relationships between guardians and companion animals were challenged during a large-scale disaster: the tsunami of March 2011 and the following nuclear disaster in Fukushima. The author interrogates: 1) How did guardians and their companion animals survive the large disaster?; 2) Why was the relationship between guardians and their companion animals ignored during and after a disaster?; and 3) What structures and/or mechanisms shaped the outcomes for animals and their guardians? Through a critical realist framework, combined with a theoretical perspective developed by Roy Bhaskar and his colleagues, the author argues that despite the trivialization of companion animals by government officials, relationships between animals and guardians were often able to be maintained, in some cases through great pains by the guardians. While the notion of human-animal relationships in Japan has thus far been dominated by economic logic, the author reveals dynamics between guardians and companion animal transcend such structures, forging the concept of “bonding rights.” Preface 6 References 11 Literature in English 11 Literature in Japanese 12 Praise Page Surviving with Companion Animals in Japan 13 Contents 15 List of Figures 19 List of Photos 21 List of Tables 23 Part I Introduction 24 1 Japanese Animals in Calamity 25 1.1 The Impact of Disasters on Companion Animals 25 1.2 Companion Animals in Japan 30 1.3 The March 11, 2011, Earthquake 35 1.4 Disasters and Animals 40 1.5 Overview of the Research 44 References 46 2 Methodology 54 2.1 Semi-structured Interviews 55 2.2 Observations 58 2.3 Quantitative Survey 59 2.4 Additional Fieldwork 59 2.5 Ethical Considerations 60 References 61 Part II The Tsunami in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures 62 3 Everything I Did Was for Baron 63 3.1 Companion Animals as “Kasugai” 65 3.2 How My Dog Saved My Life 67 3.3 The Sudden Exclusion 70 3.4 Community and Pets in Temporary Housing 75 3.5 The Death of Companion Animals 78 3.6 The Pet-Owner Relationship 80 References 81 4 Surviving with Companion Animals 83 4.1 Four Aspects of Guardian Behavior 84 4.1.1 Confronting the System 84 4.1.1.1 Living in My Vehicle with My Dog 85 4.1.1.2 Drifting from Refuge to Refuge with a Cat 88 4.1.2 Making Alternative Arrangements 93 4.1.2.1 “I Promise to Pick You up” 93 4.1.2.2 Leaving My Dog to a Veterinarian’s Care 96 4.1.3 Returning to a Destroyed Residence 99 4.1.3.1 Walking Past the “Keep Out!” Sign 99 4.1.3.2 Coming Back to a Deserted Apartment Every Day 102 4.1.4 Suffering in Silence 104 4.2 Companion Animals First 106 References 107 Part III The Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima 108 5 I Have Lost the Meaning to Live 109 5.1 Background 110 5.2 Plans for Her Own Farm House 111 5.3 Drinking Well Water Without Understanding the Situation 112 5.4 The Animals I Left Behind 115 5.5 Hell with the Animals or Without the Animals 119 5.6 Directionless 124 References 126 6 Making Choices Regarding Companion Animals 128 6.1 Three Choices for Guardians 128 6.1.1 Evacuating with Companion Animals 130 6.1.1.1 Cases Where Guardians and Their Companion Animals Evacuated Together and Are Still Together 130 6.1.1.2 Cases Where Guardians and Their Companion Animals Evacuated Together but Are Now Living Apart 132 6.1.1.3 Cases Where Guardians Evacuated with Some of Their Companion Animals and Left Others Behind 135 6.1.2 Evacuating Without Companion Animals 140 6.1.2.1 Cases Where Owners Returned to Restricted Areas and Rescued Their Companion Animals 140 6.1.2.2 Cases Where Owners Are Feeding Pets While Animals Are in the Area Under Evacuation Orders 142 6.1.2.3 Cases Where the Owners just Left Their Animals Behind and Neglected Them 144 6.1.3 Resisting Evacuation 147 6.1.3.1 Cases Where the Owners Challenged the Evacuation Order 147 6.1.3.2 Case Where the Owner Is Living in an Evacuation Area Covertly 149 References 151 7 Complexities in Fukushima 152 7.1 Complexities in Fukushima 152 7.2 Essential Matters When Nuclear Power Disasters Occur 154 7.2.1 The Lack of Information and the Safety Myths 155 7.2.2 The Uncertainty of Reconstructing One’s Life 158 7.2.3 The Uncertainty of “Scientific” Discourse on Radioactivity 161 7.3 A Rural Philosophy for the Happiness of Companion Animals 166 References 172 Part IV Social Structures and Causal Mechanisms 175 8 Applying Critical Realism to Real Life 176 8.1 Distinguishing Between the Two Disasters 178 8.2 Actual Domain: Oppression 180 8.3 Real Domain: Structural Mechanisms 182 8.3.1 Trivializing Companion Animals 182 8.3.2 Vague Notions of Dobutsu Aigo 183 References 190 9 Advancing the Notion of “Bonding Rights” 192 9.1 Fitting Bonding Rights into Theory 192 9.1.1 Japanese “Love and Protection for Animals [dobutsu aigo]” Theory 193 9.1.2 Utilitarianism 193 9.1.3 Expanding the Human Rights of Guardians 193 9.1.4 Animal Rights Theory 194 9.1.5 Animal Welfare Theory 194 9.1.6 Other Ethics Theories 194 9.1.7 Animal Citizenship Theory 195 9.2 A Preliminary Response to Anticipated Skepticism 197 9.2.1 About Bonding Rights as a Concept 197 9.2.1.1 The Details of Bonding Rights Are Indefinite 197 9.2.1.2 If Bonding Rights Are Truly a Right, What Obligations Are Involved? 198 9.2.1.3 Can Owners Who Keep Animals Inappropriately, Such as in Cases of Animal Hoarding or Neglect, Claim Bonding Rights? 198 9.3 Bonding Rights in Practice 198 References 200 10 Conclusion 202 References 208 Index 210 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Japanese Animals in Calamity (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 3-31 Methodology (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 33-40 Front Matter ....Pages 41-41 Everything I Did Was for Baron (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 43-62 Surviving with Companion Animals (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 63-87 Front Matter ....Pages 89-89 I Have Lost the Meaning to Live (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 91-109 Making Choices Regarding Companion Animals (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 111-134 Complexities in Fukushima (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 135-157 Front Matter ....Pages 159-159 Applying Critical Realism to Real Life (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 161-176 Advancing the Notion of “Bonding Rights” (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 177-186 Conclusion (Hazuki Kajiwara)....Pages 187-194 Back Matter ....Pages 195-197