In a country where owners of beloved pets often wish to cremate them when they die to retain their ashes as keepsakes, a company has come up with technology that can handle even the smallest animals such as ornamental fish.
Progress Co, an Osaka-based company, has developed a way of adjusting the intensity of the flames as well as the strength of the jet of air that is blown in to leave the ashes in the best condition, with some bones remaining.
In Japan, cremation ceremonies for people often involve collecting the bone pieces that remain to be kept with the ashes, and there is demand for the same custom to be possible for pet cremations.
Pet owners need to ask local governments or specialized companies to cremate their animals as a law prohibits them from burning their own after death. In all, there are some 2,000 companies in the pet funeral business, making it a highly competitive market, according to research firm Fuji Keizai Co.
Progress, which also offers a service sorting through people's belongings after they die, started its pet cremation business in 2020 and now receives about 2,000 requests every month, serving a variety of pets including rare species like spotted garden eels and axolotls.
"My pet was very small but they handled it with great care and I am very grateful," said Naomi Uchikawa, a 45-year-old woman who used the service for her chameleon.
Yuko Moriyama, the representative director of Progress, said, "Pet cremation is an opportunity to recognize the value of life. We aim to provide an environment where any pet can receive a proper farewell."
