Japan’s Dogs Are Dying in Gas Chambers: Help Them
- 600milliondogs.org
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Dogs and cats in parts of Japan’s public shelter system are still euthanized inside carbon dioxide gas chambers known as “Dream Boxes.”
These sealed metal chambers are designed to kill multiple animals at once by pumping in carbon dioxide gas until the animals suffocate.
Investigations described dogs howling, clawing at metal walls, trembling, gasping for air, and collapsing during the process.
A former Tokyo Assembly member documented one visit to a euthanasia facility where she witnessed dogs trembling, panting heavily, and finally collapsing inside the chamber.
The gassing process can last 10 to 15 minutes before death is confirmed.
Veterinary experts explain that carbon dioxide euthanasia causes panic, respiratory distress, and intense air hunger before unconsciousness occurs.
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment confirms euthanasia numbers have fallen sharply over the past decades.
More than one million dogs were euthanized annually during the 1970s.
By 2022, official statistics had fallen to roughly 3,000 dogs and 9,000 cats nationwide.
The decline followed stronger surrender restrictions, wider sterilization efforts, rescue partnerships, and adoption campaigns.
Even at today’s lower levels, thousands of animals are still killed every year in public shelters across the country.
Most victims are stray or surrendered animals who were not adopted within the short holding period set by local authorities.
Mobile gas chamber vehicles, called “death trucks,” were also documented in Tokushima, a region in western Japan.
Local authorities used transport vehicles fitted with sealed compartments where carbon dioxide gas was released while animals were being moved to cremation facilities.
Thousands of dogs and cats were gassed annually in these trucks.
Other countries have moved away from gas-based euthanasia in shelters.
In the United States, 597,000 animals were euthanized in 2025, yet shelters achieved an 87% live outcome rate, nearly nine out of ten animals left alive.
In Europe, countries like Germany and the U.K. rely on sterilization and adoption programs, keeping euthanasia rare.
Government data shows progress, but thousands are still killed every year.
Japan's Minister of the Environment, Ishihara Hirotaka, has the authority to help end this practice.
His office controls shelter policy, euthanasia methods, and national animal welfare standards.
Without his leadership, thousands of dogs and cats will continue to die in gas chambers every year.
Call on Minister Ishihara Hirotaka to phase out carbon dioxide gas chamber euthanasia, strengthen shelter transparency, and expand humane alternatives that reduce the number of dogs and cats entering shelters in the first place.
Thank you for standing with the animals.
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