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DATE & TIME:
VENUE:

Greetings
Yasuo Maeno, Deputy Mayor
Eizo Nakashima, Director of Health and Welfare Bureau Lifestyle and Social
Service Department Hyogo Prefectural Government

Keynote Speech
Masumi Yoshida, Vice Chairman of Pet Law Society

Panel discussion
Symposium MC:
Keiko Yamazaki, Pet Researcher

Panelists:
Dragan Nastic, Head of Legal Affairs
World Society for the Protection of Animals( WSPA), U.K.

Volker Wenk， Geschaftsfuhrer
Tierschutzverein fur Berlin und Umgebung Corporation Tierheim Lankwitz, Germany

Amelia Tarzi, France

Japan - Masumi Yoshida

Hisashi Okabe, Assistant Director of Animal Companionship General Affairs
Division Nature Conservation Bureau Ministry of the Environment

Ichizo Numata, Section Chief of Animal Well-Being Section Public Health and
Sanitation Division Health and Welfare Bureau Lifestyle and Social Service Department Hyogo Prefectural Government

After the opening of the Symposium, a message from Richard W. Swain, Vice-President of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), was delivered. Mr. Swain was unfortunately unable to come to Japan in person owing to the terrible incidents of September 11th that occurred in America. A moment of silence was held in memory of those people and animals that lost their lives in America and for those who also died following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 17th 1995 in Kobe.

Afterwards, there were speeches by Mr. Maeno, Deputy Mayor of Kobe City and Mr. Nakashima, Director General of the Health and Welfare Bureau, Lifestyle and Social Services Department, Hyogo Prefectural Government.

The Keynote Lecture was made by Mr. Masumi Yoshida, Vice Chairman of the Pet Law Society, followed by presentations from individual panel members and a panel discussion. On the day there were also greetings from the Ministry of Environment and from Hyogo Prefectural Government.

Mr. Volker Wenk, representing the Animal Protection Association in Berlin, used a slide presentation to introduce a grand facility now being constructed for their organization. During the panel discussion, Mr. Dragan Nastic from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) explained the current situation of animal welfare in the European Union. The talk by Amelia Tarzi from France, an expert with vast experience related to animal issues, was of great interest to those audience members directly involved in animal welfare.

The audience was also captivated by what was said in the keynote lecture and panelist presentations. Questions from the audience during the 'Q&A' time received warm-hearted and useful responses from the panel members. Despite the time limitations this symposium was an extremely beneficial and meaningful opportunity to learn about animal welfare situations in other countries.

The Public Forum began with a moment of silence for those people and animals that lost their lives in America on September 11th and those who died in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
Dogs were permitted to enter the venue and the Cafe Corner, where free coffee was being served, became a popular and friendly gathering point for owners and their accompanying pets. Many of those attending had enjoyed the presentations made at the previous day's symposium and at the Forum they were able to enjoy skill demonstrations by helper dogs and sniffer dogs. Various animal-related organizations had set up booth spaces and these provided a meeting point for some lively conversations between visitors and representatives.

The 'Wanwan' Manner-wear Fashion Show presented ideas for curbing moulting and also show-cased rain wear designs that can be fitted or removed in a matter of seconds. Many people put their cameras to work in photographing dogs dressed in new outfit ideas that further improve the way people and animals live together.

A Presentation Ceremony for the '20th Century Live Love Animals Award' was also held. The Grandprix winner was 'Studio Ghibli'.

Finally, a lucky draw was held with panelist Mr. Dragan Nastic and with audience members excitedly participating in the 'janken', the popular 'paper, scissors, stone' eliminator game. The prize of a free room at the Nemu-no-Sato hotel, where guests are allowed to bring pets, went to an elementary school student, clearly delighted to be the winner. The dogs that visited the Forum were exceptionally well behaved and the event ended as a most enjoyable day out for all who came, both two-legged and four-legged visitors.

Realizing all these events involved a great deal of cooperation from many people and from several countries. The knots that have now been tied are another asset that will support a society where people and animals can coexist in harmony, both in Japan and overseas.