Opinion Concerning Animal Experimentation

Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science

The Japanese Association for Laboratory AnlmalScience (JALAS) is convinced that animal experiments are very important and highly effective procedures in medical and biological research as well as research in other fields, and that the current levels in medicine and biology could not have been achieved without the contributions made by laboratory animals. JALAS recognizes the criticism of unnecessary and cruel animal experimentation made by some segments of the public，but believes that much of this criticism results from differences of opinion and points of view，and that scientifically correct animal experimentation and ethically proper ones are not mutually exclusive.

JALAS has already established the policy for appropriate animal experimentation through a scientific and ethicalconsensus of its members. It was adopted as the Guidelines for Animal Experimentation (herein after referred to as the Guidelines), at the 34th Annual Meeting of JALAS (May22. 1987) and published in JALAS's journaI, Experimental Animals［36(3). 285-288, 1987]. A book explaining the Guidelines has also been published (Guidelines for Animal Experimentation: An Explanation, Soft Science Inc., 1991). JALAS feels certain that the Guidelines fulfill sufficiently the conditions necessary for both scientific and ethical animal experimentation. Members of JALAS are required to comply completely with the Guidelines, and itis the wish of JALAS that all medical and biological research performed in Japan should be in complete accordance with the Guidelines.