Japan’s whaling culture, international backlash and our responsibility

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission established a moratorium on commercial whaling that remains in place to this day. A few member countries with a history of whaling, such as Norway and Iceland, still hunt whales commercially despite it.

Japan has drawn a lot of attention for its own objections and recent withdrawal from the IWC. In 2019, the country resumed commercial whaling despite international criticism. Even before that, Japan still hunted whales for “scientific purposes,” which is considered an exception to the IWC ban. However, many say that this was a false pretense and that whale meat was being sold commercially.

Why does Japan continue whaling despite the enormous backlash?

Whale meat is indeed part of Japanese culture to some extent, or at least it’s important to certain towns and regions in Japan. Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture is a good example, as it has a whaling tradition going back several hundred years.

However, whale meat was most common during the postwar period, when other meat sources of protein were not widely available. While anti-whaling sentiment is not as prevalent within Japan as it is overseas, modern Japanese demand for whale meat is extremely low. The industry is propped up by subsidies and used as an issue by certain groups who feel that the international community has no right to interfere in Japan’s culture. Some feel that caving in regarding this issue would further increase pressure to stop other kinds of fishing upon which Japan is reliant.

Whaling criticisms are completely understandable, given that whale populations have been endangered and harpooning is a slow and inefficient killing method. Yet some of the tactics used by the opposition have only strengthened Japan’s resolve to continue the practice.

The Japanese documentary “A Whale of a Tale” (Japanese name – Okujira-sama) released by American-based Japanese filmmaker Megumi Sasaki explores this. After the release of another documentary, “The Cove” in 2009, the town of Taiji found itself visited by anti-whaling protestors and activists. Sasaki wanted to show the other side. She felt that the whaling debate was one-sided in America, despite that country’s culture of open debate compared to Japan.

Her documentary shows the aftermath of the release of “The Cove,” particularly the harsh reactions and even harassing language from the protestors to Taiji locals. Sasaki’s goal is not to take sides necessarily, but to show both sides of the whaling debate.

The key to tackle controversial issues in today’s global society

The controversy regarding whaling in Japan suggests that even issues that seem obviously wrong to us have more complexity than may be visible at first glance. There are many legitimate reasons to oppose whaling, including maintaining whale populations and a lack of relatively painless hunting methods.

It’s understandable to want to take a hardline stance about such an important environmental issue. In Japan, however, it may not lead to the intended result of reducing or eliminating whaling. The few groups invested in whale hunting are going to continue the practice regardless. Harsher pushback means they will feel that much more resolved to do it.

This doesn’t necessarily mean ignoring or approving of whaling. In order to find the most ethical and practical way forward, opposing voices must be heard. It’s important to know the context of an issue, so we can avoid demonizing the other side and take appropriate and effective action.

Japan’s demand for whale meat is so low that in this case, that action may mean letting the industry die out on its own. Regardless, even a more active approach should involve understanding the full picture.