Japan’s pet care industry booms as ‘fur babies’ outnumber infants
Japanese baby product manufacturers are turning their attention to the pet market amid collapsing birthrate. Click here to share on social media Tokyo, Japan
Japanese baby product manufacturers are turning their attention to the pet market amid collapsing birthrate. Click here to share on social media Tokyo, Japan – While walking his toy poodle in the park near his home in Ikeda, Gifu Prefecture, Shin Ohta had an idea. “My dog often stops walking during our strolls. I would carry him every time, but his weight of nearly 5kg [11lbs] started to become a real burden,” Ohta told Al Jazeera. “I knew there had to be a better way. Ohta works in sales for Japan’s oldest baby carrier manufacturer, Lucky Industries, which has produced more than 40 million baby carriers since its founding in 1934. He has spent his career making baby carriers, but after that walk, he wondered if the same expertise could be applied to pets. After consulting a veterinarian to ensure the design was viable for dogs, Ohta helped Lucky Industries launch its first line of dog hip carriers in 2022: Nu-i. Earlier this year, the company joined dozens of other brands at Tokyo’s annual Interpets conference, a showcase of Japan’s rapidly growing pet care market. During the first weekend of April, stalls lined the walls of the Big Sight convention centre, selling everything from walk-in pet dryers to the latest organic cat treats. Few of the pet owners attending the event had their four-legged friend on a leash, instead ferrying them to and fro in well-decorated pet strollers, or the doggy equivalent of baby slings. Many pets were decked out in colourful outfits, fur clips, and diapers.
Pets in Japan now outnumber children under 15 by more than 2 million. According to market intelligence company Euromonitor, the country’s pet care market was worth 880 billion yen ($5.4bn) in 2025, up from 689.6 billion yen ($4.2bn) in 2020. As Japan’s birthrate continues to fall and the population of children shrinks, companies that once built their businesses on babies, selling nappies, slings, and strollers, are increasingly turning their attention to pets. Betting on pets at the Interpets conference, Unicharm’s expansive stall was lined with dog and cat nappies from its latest “Mannerware’” line. The Tokyo-based company has been one of the great cross-market successes of the pet care boom. After making its name selling feminine hygiene products and disposable diapers, Unicharm expanded into pet diapers in 2001. Since then, pet care products have become one of the company’s main growth engines. While the personal care market for people is larger, the pet care sector has higher profit margins. According to Unicharm’s financial results for 2025, the company’s pet care division had a profit margin of 15.4 percent that year, compared with personal care’s margin of 10.7 percent. Isshu Uehara, a Unicharm spokesperson, said that as of 2025, the pet care business accounted for 17 percent of the company’s total sales, with plans to increase that share to 20 percent by 2030. “Japan’s birthrate is declining,” Uehara told Al Jazeera. “Lifestyle changes, such as remaining single, marrying late, and the growth of childless, dual-income households, have led to a greater number of people seeking emotional connections through pets.
The BriefWire