In Japan, robot dogs are for always

For the furry departed: Kofukuji temple chief priest Bungen Oi offering a prayer during the funeral for 19 of Sony’s pet robot AIBOs at the Kofukuji temple in Isumi, Chiba prefecture. — AFP

ISUMI: Incense smoke wafts through the cold air of the centuries-old Buddhist temple as a priest chants a sutra, praying for the peaceful transition of the souls of the departed.

It is a funeral like any other in Japan. Except that those being honoured are robot dogs, lined up on the altar, each wearing a tag to show where they came from and which family they belonged to.