[History and movements of alternatives to animal experiments in Japan]

Experimental animals have been used so very often on science studies from the late 19th centuries. Especially since Wistar rat was produced in the 1890s as an experimental animal, various kinds of experimental animals have been developed and made enormous contribution to human beings. It is not an exaggeration to say that experimental animals have made us alive and rich, so to speak. However, the number of uses of experimental animals has decreased since its peak in 1990s. One of the reasons is the existence of Alternatives to animal experiments. Around 1980, Importance of 3Rs has been increased among its support, and the trend of animal experiments has moved to ones without using animals all over the world. It is because animal experiments cost and take time, but the biggest reason is the concern towards overuse of experimental animals. There is a rooting ethical doubt among many researchers that we can sacrifice other animals to save human lives. Human beings have hunted, and domesticated other animals as means of surviving. But today, we are trying to find a way to live not only for ourselves but for other animals on the whole earth. As a mean of the living, Alternatives to animal experiments have significant meanings and it will get even more important in the future. In this article, I would like to briefly explain the history and movements on Alternatives to animal experiments that took place here in Japan.