In Japan, the Rabies Prevention Law was enforced in 1950, and the last reported case was 6 years later. The main reason for the success in eradicating rabies in a short period of time from a situation where rabies was prevalent was the eradication of stray dogs based on the Rabies Prevention Law and the strong promotion of vaccination. In the current situation where rabies does not exist, the current law plays a major role as a countermeasure against invasion from overseas and as a preparation for an outbreak. Rabies is a fatal disease, and unless rabies is eradicated from the world, rabies measures cannot be relaxed simply because the risk of outbreaks from overseas is very low. In order to minimize the damage even if it occurs in the future, we believe that it is important to maintain emergency and normal countermeasures that are in harmony with the impact of risk.
