The national animal of Japan is the macaque monkey. Officially, though, Japan does not have a national animal, and the macaque has mainly earned its position in popular consciousness. Macaques have been very important in Japanese culture and thus they play an important role in modern Japanese folklore still today.
In terms of an officially designated national animal, then, Japan does not have one.
That said, most Japanese people who recognize a national animal for the country imagine it to be the macaque.
These monkeys are native to many parts of the country and are very important to the ecosystems they inhabit.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Japan?
The national animal of Japan is the Japanese macaque or snow monkey.
This, though, is only the national animal in an unofficial capacity.
As far as what the government says officially, Japan has no national animal.
Many do recognize the macaque as the country’s national animal, but in most countries national animals are officially recognized; this is not the case in Japan.
There can be many reasons for this, as countries are of course not obliged to officially designate a national animal.
Japanese macaques, though, have featured very prominently in the religion, art and folklore of Japan for a very long time.
Shinto is one of the major belief systems of Japan, and in this belief mythical creatures called raiju sometimes appear as monkeys to keep the god of lightning company.
You are also doubtless familiar with the concept of the three wise monkeys, warning you to “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil”.
These monkeys are often depicted in carved relief over the doors of shrines.
Japanese macaques themselves are also known as snow monkeys because they tend to inhabit very high mountains in snowy regions.
They have very thick fur to keep them warm during the coldest months and their penchant for warming up in hot springs has made them a cultural icon of Japan around the world as well as domestically.
They are a highly intelligent species and have been observed washing food off in water rather than brushing it on themselves as monkeys tend to do.
They also roll snowballs for fun and many other behaviors that show them to be exceptionally intelligent even among monkeys.
Though, again, they are not officially the national animal, they certainly are in spirit.
Why is the macaque the national animal of Japan?
There are many reasons the macaque is the national animal of Japan.
As we have explored at length, the macaque has always been very important to Japanese history and culture, and Japan is a country which is particularly concerned with its own history and cultural practices.
Thus the importance of the snow monkey is preserved in this modern way by calling it the unofficial animal of Japan.
The monkeys themselves symbolize many things to modern Japanese people, though.
They are symbols of freedom, grace, intelligence and family bonding.
Snow monkeys live in tight knit social groups as monkeys tend to do and they can form very deep bonds with one another over time.
This often inspires the human imagination and so the macaques have become important to modern Japanese culture for their actual behaviors as well as their role in religion and folklore.
Though the species is currently not threatened by extinction and are listed as of least concern, they are experiencing habitat loss in some areas and thus local population declines; making them the national animal can help to bring attention to these issues before they become a more serious problem.
There are both historical and contemporary reasons for making the snow monkey the national animal, then.
Are Japanese macaques aggressive to humans?
Most macaque species, Japanese macaques included, are not typically aggressive to humans.
At most they may screech and shout at you, and perhaps pelt you with things, but for the most part they would prefer to just avoid the contact entirely.
There are some populations which are much more comfortable with human interaction and haunt urban areas.
It is very rare for macaques to be outright aggressive to humans, though.
They are certainly aggressive to one another and males will often fight for mates or social status, but this is generally kept amongst themselves.
Are Japanese macaques endangered?
Japanese macaques are currently not endangered.
They are officially listed as of least concern and they are under no immediate threat of extinction.
That said, as mentioned, some areas of their habitats and natural range have been replaced by agricultural land or urban development, and in the future this could threaten the species.
Conservation efforts are already underway in some areas to ensure that their habitats are preserved, but the other thing about these macaques is they are highly adaptable.
Many would do just fine living in cities if it came to it, though of course this is hardly ideal for either party.
So, again, as far as anything officially government-designated, there is no official animal in Japan.
The animal that most people recognize that is not a bird or a fish is the Japanese macaque or snow monkey.
These animals are very important culturally and in terms of their role in the local ecosystem, and so perhaps one day they will be officially endorsed as the country’s national animal; until that time, they are the official national animal in all but name.