Two men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of abusing around 450 dogs that were found in poor conditions at a kennel in the central Japan city of Matsumoto, police said.
The two are Koji Momose, 60, a former head of the Daiyoku Kensetsu construction firm that runs the facility in the city in Nagano Prefecture, and Kenji Aruga, 48, an employee of the company.
The police said they believe the men -- who have been arrested for allegedly violating the animal welfare law -- failed to collect the dogs' feces and left sick and hurt animals uncared for in squalid conditions.
The majority of the dogs are smaller breeds, with 58 exhibiting symptoms of blindness and other optical problems, according to the police.
