Japanese whaling

“We can’t tell other countries what to do”, goes some people’s thinking. Whale meat is a popular food in Japan, and whaling has been part of Japanese culture for many centuries. Do we have the right to condemn them for it?

 

Yes, because it is a cruel and barbaric practise, banned in most countries. Japan gets around the international whaling moratorium by claiming that it kills whales for the purpose of “scientific research”, for example to study population structures. This is absurd. Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of the WWF International Species Programme, says: “Japan's so-called 'scientific' whaling programme is bogus science. It's nothing more than commercial whaling under another name.”

Japan persists in trying to overturn the 20-year ban on whaling. They even allegedly try to buy support, offering aid to smaller Caribbean and African countries in return for a supporting vote at the International Whaling Commission.

The Japanese hunt and kill several protected species of whale, such as the Bryde’s whale and Minke whale. Even worse, they now want to start hunting the endangered humpback and fin whales.

These awe-inspiring creatures are harpooned using spears with explosive tips, then dragged onto ships, often ripping their skin, where they can take up to an hour to die in pain. Sir David Attenborough has stated “There is no humane way to kill a whale”.

Cultural relativism has its place, but no civilised person can agree that Japan should be allowed to continue this barbaric practise.

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