The Cost of Whaling

There are times when statistics just add to confusion especially in relation to environmental matters, but here is one that should be shocking. The Japanese government, and that means the Japanese tax payers, subsidise the annual whale hunt to the tune of one point two billion yen. That's 1.2 Billion Yen not million.

Also there is a misconception that in 1986 there was a Ban on Whaling, but in fact the IWC (International Whaling Commission) agreed to a zero quota. This had the effect of stopping commercial hunting but provided a loophole that the Japanese have exploited where research was allowed. This hunting in the guise of research has lead to thousands of whales being slaughtered.

If Japan were a developing nation where the population was dependent upon whale meat for survival, then there could be a justification for the hunt. But the reality is that Japan is a developed nation and whale meat is a luxury food there. At the time of writing, I understand that whale meat is two hundred dollars US per Kilo. I may not have the price exactly correct but it illustrates that as a food, the hunting of whales for food is no justification. There was perhaps some justification of and for the research into whale populations in the years 1987/88, but even that was dubious. Therefore, the Japanese research hunt can only be seen for what it is, the unjustified harvesting of endangered species to satisfy a few rich men who are selfish and greedy.

The consumption of whale meat in Japan is minimal as only less than two percent of the population eat whale meat, and Japan can not export the meat either as even in places were native peoples are allowed to hunt whales, there is more whale meat than the native people can or want to eat. Further as its banned from Export/Import across the world then most of the whale meat remains in freezers anyway.

So why in the twenty first century does Japan persist in subsidising an industry that seriously damages its reputation overseas and where the product is just simply not wanted?

I personally think that it comes down to this; In Japan saving face is important and the Japanese government does not want to admit that it is wrong and has been wrong for over thirty years. Therefore it persists in continuing the whaling hunt way beyond the depth of public opinion.

However this may well change as in Japan this year there will be the trial of two Greenpeace activists, Junichi Satu and Toru Suzuki. Via an informant who used to be a member of the crew on the research whaling ship, they discovered that the majority of the 150 strong crew, about 120 t0 130 persons took create fulls of whale meat with them as personal belongings. With each crew member taking between 100 to 200 kilos of whale meat this was then not showing up in official records.

The Greenpeace investigators were able to verify the information as they visited the restaurants and shops that the crew members were selling this black market whale meat to. Also the Japanese whaling vessel only harvested the prime cuts of meat from the whales discarding the rest into the sea.

However, to prove the crime Junichi Satu and Toru Suzuki needed to obtain some of the whale meat that the crew members were stealing, from the Japanese Government, and were selling into the black market. Taking a package that was labelled as containing cardboard while in fact it contained twenty kilos of whale meat. This, along with a dossier of evidence they took to the federal prosecutors office.

Then four months later the pair were arrested themselves and charged with Trespass and Theft.

Junichi Satu and Toru Suzuki have now become know as the Tokyo Two and Amnesty International have taken up there cause too. As simply the Japanese government seem to be trying to not just silence Greenpeace but shut them down in Japan. They, the Japanese government, are doing this by abusing the human rights of these Greenpeace activists.

Now while the actions of Junichi Satu and Toru Suzuki may have been unwise in taking the box of whale meat, what they did was not theft. Under Japanese law theft is an act of permanently depriving the owner of the property. As they handed this to the federal prosecutor as evidence what they did was not theft. Also as the meat was stolen from the Federal Government, and while worth over three hundred thousand Yen, it was only part of stolen federal property that was worth over forty-five million Yen.

If you want to learn more here is a link to the Greenpeace site with details of the Tokyo Two.

But also I really do think that we can stop Japan from whaling. First you can write to the Japanese ambassador. But also if you can, avoid buying goods from Japan. While I know that is not always easy, but if you can, financial shunning of Japanese products and companies will have greater effect than more than twenty years of protests ever have. Also if you do buy a product where there was a Japanese alternative, write to the Japanese company you could have used and tell them you have not bought their product because of Japanese Whaling.

When the chief executives of major Japanese corporations start getting these letters in the hundreds, thousands? Or even millions, I bet that Research Whaling will stop.

Now I have never asked folks to do this before, but I hope that you my dear reader, (Oh dear I getting all Jane Austin again) pass this message on or send a link to your friends so that we can really try and stop the Japanese Whaling, once and for all.