Overview
- The Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced the arrest of Marunouchi Rumimi on Friday after investigators said she kept animals in squalid conditions and violated the Animal Welfare Law.
- Officers reported finding animal corpses and bones, floors covered in feces and urine, and signs that surviving animals had eaten others.
- Police say 39 animals were present at the home when charged—29 dogs and 10 cats—and 19 of those animals had eye disease or bleeding wounds that went untreated.
- The suspect has said she regrets the poor conditions but denied some allegations and told investigators she prioritized feeding animals over cremation costs and grew too tired to clean.
- Local complaints first reached Shinagawa Ward in December 2025, police visited in February and searched the home in April, and officials say the case highlights multi-animal hoarding driven by donation-funded rescues and gaps in oversight that could lead to tighter enforcement.