Does a Microchip Replace the Dog License Tag in Japan? How to Check

A microchipped dog doesn't need a license tag. Have you heard that? It is half right and half a misunderstanding. Whether a microchip replaces the tag depends on the municipality where you live.

The special exception to Japan's Rabies Prevention Act is an arrangement under which participating municipalities treat a registered microchip as the dog license tag. This article explains it by answering common questions. By the end, you will know what your municipality requires and what to tell the reception desk at a dog run.

If my dog has a microchip, does it no longer need a license tag?

A microchip replaces the license tag only if your municipality takes part in the special exception. The exception started on June 1, 2022, under Article 39-7 of Japan's Act on Welfare and Management of Animals.

In participating municipalities, when you complete the microchip registration with the Ministry of the Environment, the information is sent to your municipality. That notice counts as your application to register the dog, and the microchip is treated as the license tag. So you do not receive a license tag at the municipal office.

Where can I check whether my municipality participates?

You can check in the list of municipalities participating in the special exception on the Ministry of the Environment's registration site, Dog and Cat Microchip Registration. As of October 2026, the list posted is current as of August 2026. It is available as both a PDF and an Excel file.

A Kyoto Prefecture page (updated March 2024) said that 263 of Japan's 1,747 municipalities were taking part, or 15.1 percent. Other municipalities may have joined since then, so look for your own municipality's name rather than relying on the number. If you cannot find it or are unsure, the surest way is to ask the rabies prevention section of your municipal office.

What is required in a municipality that does not participate?

In a municipality that does not participate, you apply to register your dog at the municipal office and receive a license tag, whether or not it has a microchip. Keep the license tag on your dog together with the vaccination tag. The ministry's microchip registration and municipal dog registration are separate procedures.

The screen shown after you finish the microchip registration also says so. If your municipality does not participate, it tells you that you need to apply for dog registration under the Rabies Prevention Act separately from the microchip registration.

What if a dog run asks to see the license tag?

If your dog's microchip serves as its license tag, say so at reception and show the vaccination tag as usual. The dog run guide of Minato City in Tokyo (updated June 2026) says it checks two things when you sign up: the dog license tag or microchip ID, and the rabies vaccination tag.

The same guide says that for people whose dogs have a microchip, the microchip is treated as the license tag, so the license tag is not needed. It asks you to mention this when you sign up. This is guidance for Minato City's facilities; a microchip replaces the license tag only if your municipality participates in the special exception and the microchip registration is complete.

You cannot sign up unless you have both the license tag (or microchip ID) and the rabies vaccination tag, so do not forget the vaccination tag. Keeping a note of the microchip number so you can give it right away makes reception smoother (an editors' suggestion).

What is checked differs from facility to facility and venue to venue. For dog-friendly venues, read the dog rules section on the venue's Inucomi page, and ask when you book if you are unsure. Differences between facilities are covered in our column on carrying vaccination proof.

What changes when I move?

When you move, first update your microchip registration with the ministry yourself, then complete the procedure at the office of the municipality you move to. What that procedure involves depends on whether the new municipality participates.

According to Kyoto Prefecture's guidance, returning the license tag is mandatory unless there is a legitimate reason. Check the details with the municipality you are moving to.

What about a new puppy, or a dog at home that gets a microchip later?

If you buy a puppy from a pet shop or breeder, you need a change of registration; if you have a microchip implanted in a dog you already keep, you need to register it. Since June 1, 2022, pet shops and breeders have been required to microchip the dogs they sell.

For dogs kept at home, owners should make an effort to have a microchip implanted, and once one is implanted, registration is mandatory. Decide whether and when to have one implanted in consultation with your regular veterinarian. If your dog already has a license tag, return that tag to your municipality promptly once the microchip is treated as the license tag.

Start by finding your municipality in the list

The first step is to find your municipality's name in the Ministry of the Environment's list. Why not look tonight?

You can check the microchip rules with the quiz Microchips and Paperwork Quiz: Practical. Review the basics of registration and vaccination with the Dog Registration and Vaccination Quiz: Beginner.

Once your dog's tags and papers are in order, look for your next outing among dog cafes.