Where are the “Japanese Macaques” from? Where are they provided? NBRP “Japanese Macaques” continues to conceal information

Only repeating “not disclosed”

JAVA and PEACE, collaborating to end the “Japanese Macaques” project, have repeatedly sent open questionnaires and filed information disclosure requests to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Core Center Kyoto University Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior (EHUB), and the sub-Core Center National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) to confirm the breeding and supply status of Japanese macaques and future plans, and we have repeatedly urged the project’s termination. However, their responses have been consistently “we are not disclosing”, and even information disclosure requests have been met with critical information being consistently withheld.
Despite being a project using approximately 200 million yen (1.3million USD) of taxpayer money annually, they continue to conceal information that citizens should naturally be informed about, such as where the monkeys are sourced from, how many are bred, and where they are provided. This is utterly inexcusable.

Monkey breeding numbers and experimental provision

Until fiscal year 2021, the official website of NBRP “Japanese Macaques” published the number of animals bred, categorized into breeding groups (mother groups used for reproduction) and rearing groups (offspring bred for experimental provision). Additionally, the number of animals provided to research institutions was also disclosed until fiscal year 2022. However, for unknown reasons, it is no longer published. Therefore, after our confirmation, the number of monkeys, including those revealed, is as follows:

Cumulative number of monkeys provided since fiscal year 2006: 1,119 monkeys
Cumulative number of providing institutions since fiscal year 2006: 40 institutions

50 new Japanese Macaques introduced to EHUB

In the EHUB 2022 annual report issued in February 2024, it was discovered that 50 new Japanese Macaques were introduced to the NBRP “Japanese Macaques”.
NIPS has commissioned monkey breeding to the private company “Amami Wild Animal Research Center”. As the monkeys bred at this research center were at risk of being executed, JAVA and PEACE repeatedly confirmed their treatment with EHUB and NIPS, but has continued to receive only “under consideration” responses. Given these circumstances of the 50-monkey introduction to EHUB, one cannot help but suspect these might be monkeys from the Amami Wild Animal Research Center.
However, both EHUB and NIPS are once again adamant about “not disclosing” the source of these 50 monkeys and refuse to answer whether they were monkeys bred at the Amami Wild Animal Research Center.

Do they intend to end the project?

As the graph shows, the supply numbers are significantly below the original project goal of 300 monkeys per year, with an average demand of around 60 monkeys.
The international trend is to reduce, eliminate, and transition to alternative methods for animal experiments. Particularly for primates, the direction is toward stricter regulation, and internationally, there are loud criticisms that using primates for animal experiments are inherently ethically problematic.
Moreover, despite being implemented with large amounts of taxpayer money, continuing in an environment of non-disclosure and full of unclear points and questions, the NBRP “Japanese Macaques” should be ended as soon as possible.
While we are calling for the project’s termination, both EHUB and NIPS only say they want to “consider while hearing opinions from related parties”.

Make your voice heard to the Minister of MEXT!

The currently ongoing 5th period continues until the fiscal year 2026. To end this outdated project by the 5th period, we continue to ask for your cooperation directly delivering your opinions to the Minister of MEXT.

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MEXT email form (Life Sciences):
https://www.inquiry.mext.go.jp/inquiry30